


Ripples on Still Water

by wanderers_musing



Category: Perthsaintsation - Fandom, Trigon - Fandom, perthsaint - Fandom, บังเอิญรัก | Love by Chance (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26802763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderers_musing/pseuds/wanderers_musing
Summary: A bored Water God named Perth decides to play a cruel prank on humans - withholding rain from falling on Earth for 18 long years - but the tables turn on him when the concerned Goddess of Life gives him an ultimatum. It's either Perth takes a bride from the humans or the Goddess will continue to disturb his peace. Out of options, Perth promises to let The Oracle choose the bride, believing that the magical item known for being picky in owners will end up choosing no one.Back on Earth, a young man is paying the price for circumstances surrounding his birth that is beyond his control.  This is Saint, an 18 year old orphan shunned by society and taunted for being "the cursed child". His beauty is envied by women and puzzles the men which leads to his misery as he is bullied and tormented every day.A festival in honor of the Water God, a ritual of human offerings, and The Oracle choosing a bride...It is the day it all starts,  the day their lives - both God and mortal - intertwines.It is the day it all changes, like ripples on still water.
Relationships: Perth Tanapon Sukhumpantanasan/Saint Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana
Comments: 53
Kudos: 62





	1. The Unbreakable Vow

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Saint and Perth are real life actors known for their roles in the BL series Love By Chance. I am in no way, shape, or form, claiming ownership over them. This fanfiction and all other characters aside from Perth and Saint are my own invention and for entertainment purposes only.

In a time where Gods and Goddesses exist and humans worship and honor them, a young God by the name of Perth controls water - including the rain. He lives in a magical realm where one can see plants and sturdier structures coexisting seamlessly. In that realm, there is an immensely large marble palace, flowering vines weaving across the pillars and interestingly enough, water that defies gravity and never runs out. This water is sometimes at the roof of the palace, forming crystals, sometimes dancing on the floor in ripples. The whole realm is filled with gardens in which flora abound - there are wild grass always at the right height, every color and shade of flower known and unknown to man, and fruits that are never seen on Earth flourish proudly on trees.

The realm is tended by child-like creatures that are made completely out of water but have a human child's figure and huge wings with patterns of snowflakes. They are more like ice in that they keep their solid form but are translucent like glass. They are nimble and quick but does not speak and does their chores mostly without being seen by their master.

The master, the Water God Perth, is currently at the garden, where he can be found most often these days. He is standing still in the middle of the greenery, barefoot on the soft grass. His eyes are blank, not really seeing what's in front of him. Every so often, he sighs.

For someone immortal, time is but an abstract concept. Boredom, however, is very much real. After years and years of living, there is only so much that holds the interest of a deity such as Perth.

Through a clear mirror made out of water, he looks at the human race, his face remaining emotionless. The humans are living their lives - engaging in social interactions that are very rarely genuine. While they are young, they treat their lives as if they are immortal but then when they are old, they grumble to the Gods about lost chances. Perth considers them petty and insignificant. So to ease his boredom, he decides that he will play a trick on them. And so on that day, the rains stop.

Somewhere in the land of humans, unheard by the bored Water God, a piercing cry of a baby echoes. A baby boy has been born. And with this life, comes death. As the baby cries his first breath of fresh air, his mother dies. She only had time to utter his name - 'Saint'.

Cradled at the midwife's arms, this is not the only bad news the little baby receives on his birth date. For a messenger that arrives at their house brings the news of Saint's father passing away. The man died while working at the field, before even getting the chance to hold his newborn son.

Just like that, Saint became an orphan and from then on, he is treated as a burden - passed on from relative to relative - and became known as 'the cursed child'. Rumors has it, the orphan boy brings bad luck to people around him. Some even believes he brought the curse of the drought upon them.

For 18 years, it did not rain. The humans became more and more desperate as the drought persisted. With every year without rain, the streams and rivers become more in danger of drying up altogether and no matter how they try to limit the usage of water, there is never enough to go around. There is less water to drink, to cook food with, to water the crops and to feed the livestock.

At a loss at what to do, the humans decide to pray to Goddess Aisha, the Goddess of Life. She is considered the mother of all humans and as such, they are hoping she can intervene to the Water God in behalf of them. Every day, at dawn, they go to the temple in groups to pray to the Goddess, giving offerings, asking for her to save them against their eventual demise, promising to do what must be done to appease the God that they believe is angry at them.

Taking pity on her poor children, Goddess Aisha leaves her realm to visit the Water God. Being a God that deals with creation and one of the older Gods, she is powerful and so even though Perth has wards against trespassers, those wards stand no chance against her. With one wave of a hand, she breaks them. She finds the Water God in the middle of his lush garden, sitting beside a fountain. He is in the same predicament as she had last seen him - bored, disinterested, and unenthusiastic.

"A God really should find something worthwhile to spend his time on," she scolds him.

It is such a pity that such a young God could be afflicted with such boredom. And as evidence by the constant prayers of the humans to her, he is dangerous in this state.

But the God only sighs in response to her scoldings, not even bothering to turn to her.

"Perth, seriously, you need to stop torturing the humans. It's been 18 years!"

"Oh has it been that long?" Perth says mildly, absentmindedly playing with flowing water from the fountain.

It is Aisha's turn to sigh. "Yes, and at this rate, the humans will die. You need to give them rain, Perth."

Perth shrugs. "Everyday, they grow greedier and petty and dull. Perhaps if I wipe out some of them, better ones will arrive. The only thing they do that amuses me is their panic. It eases some of my boredom."

Aisha frowns. "Those are my creations you're insulting, you brat."

"Create better ones."

Annoyed, Aisha plucks a purple fruit from one of the low hanging branches near her and throws it right at Perth's head. Perth easily catches the fruit and eats it.

"If you are so bored, why don't you find a companion? Shall I stay here?"

They both know that Aisha's offer is more like a threat. Perth loves his solitude, even though he gets lonely. It's a contradiction that often boggles Aisha but such is the Water God's complex personality.

Beside, Aisha plays the harp. Noisily. Perth hates it.

"You are quite busy," Perth reasons.

Aisha nods. "True. But I'm not leaving here without a solution for my poor children. I am getting tired of hearing them cry." She sits down next to Perth and ponders. "If not a God...perhaps you'd take a human as a wife?"

Perth shakes his head. "No."

"Hmm, they do have that festival they celebrate every year in honor of you. Although they really shouldn't, you ungrateful God," Aisha says like she didn't hear Perth. "They have offerings, you know. Virgins, among them, hoping to obtain your favor. Perhaps you'd bless one of them and take that person here, as a companion. And _then_ perhaps you'd stop being so bored."

The longer she talks, the more Perth seems to be alarmed. "What if I promise to give the humans rain?" He bargains finally.

Aisha shakes her head, unstoppable once she has decided on this matter. "If the root of the problem is not addresed, in a few years, we'll be back to this. You play pranks on humans when you're bored, Perth. I know you."

Perth sighs. "You won't stop, will you?"

"Nope." Aisha is resolute. As a Goddess, she literally has forever to convince him. Or you know, she could always play her harp. See if Perth doesn't bend to her whim then.

Perth looks around his garden. Then his eyes stop on a gold orb on top of a pedestal. The gold orb is a magical item with a life of its own but it is a finicky thing. It chooses it's owner. When Perth was a very young God, he had stumbled on the gold orb and thought it beautiful and so he played with it. Little did he know that the orb will stay with him till now.

The gold orb, which he calls The Oracle, flees from everyone else but Perth. It tolerates some Gods' presence but for the most part, avoids everyone but its owner. It certainly does not go willingly to anyone - God, mythical creature, or human. Because of this characteristic, Perth realizes he has a way out of his predicament - a way for Aisha to leave him alone while ensuring that he keeps his blissful isolation.

He grins. "This festival...is it happening soon?"

"Yes, after the next full moon," Aisha answers, her eyes watching Perth suspiciously. "Why?"

"Let The Oracle choose in this festival then," Perth suggests. "If it chooses no one then you will not bother me anymore."

Aisha narrows her eyes. "And if does?"

That won't happen, Perth thinks confidently. "Then I shall marry whoever it chooses and bring that person here."

"You will give the fruit of life and stay with the person forever?" Aisha confirms. Once a human eats the fruit of life, they become immortal.

Perth rolls his eyes.

"Give me your word, Water God," Aisha demands seriously.

To a God, their word is as good as a promise, an unbreakable vow.

"Yes, I give you my word."

And with that, unbeknown to him, Perth had sealed his own fate and that of a certain mortal on Earth.


	2. The Chosen One

Despite the tragedy that happened right on the day he was born and despite the cruelty of the people surrounding him, Saint never lost the kindness in his heart. He is never jaded or spiteful to anyone for his fate. In fact, he is a fairly cheerful person.

To earn his living, Saint works at his uncle and aunt's barn. The couple are some of the luckier people in the village because they still have some livestock, no matter how few. They have some cows and some chickens - albeit skinny and dehydrated. Ever since it stopped raining, all the water they can spare goes to the animals to try and keep them from dying like so many of the other livestock in the village.

Obviously, Saint is not treated like family here but more like a farmhand and so he has to earn everything - food, water, and the small room he sleeps in. He is still grateful though. At least they let him stay despite him being "the cursed child". Others are not so willing.

One of Saint's chores is getting water for the house and for the animals from the nearby stream at the designated day for collecting water. Usually, he wakes up before anyone else in the household, when it is dark out. But today, dawn is already breaking when he opens his eyes. Normally, it would be a beautiful sight - the rising sun creating a display of colors in the sky. But today, Saint has no time to appreciate the marvel of nature. He has to hurry because during this drought, water is precious and he is not the only one collecting from the stream for sure.

Grabbing a big, empty bucket, Saint hurries on the beaten path towards the stream. On his way, he passes by the men guarding the stream. They make sure no one is bringing back more than their share by regulating who comes and goes and what container they're holding. This is because the stream that was once deep and huge is fast becoming no more than a puddle as the years go by.

Saint nods to the guards who wave their hands in permission upon seeing his bucket, the same one he brings everytime. Saint sighs in dismay when he sees from a far that there are already some boys at the stream, filling up their own containers with water. Saint holds the bucket more firmly. He can't go home empty-handed.

"Oh if it isn't the cursed child," one of the boys who looks to be no older than 13 mocks Saint.

It hurts hearing that from someone who is clearly younger than him, treating him without an ounce of respect. But Saint ignores the boy, instead squatting down next to the stream to start filling up his bucket with water. The sooner he can get water, the sooner he can leave.

Unfortunately, as Saint rolls up his sleeves, the boy once again opens his mouth to hurl insults.

"Look at those white arms! He is as fair as my Ma," the boy looks to the others there, clearly seeking their approval. When the older boys snicker and laugh, the younger is encouraged to speak more. He turns back to Saint. "Are you sure you're a man, white rat?"

His remark is met with silence from Saint. Every time, it's the same insults. They make fun of his fair skin, his softer facial features that he inherited from his mother and the fact that unlike the other men of his village, he has so little hair on his body except on his head.

Saint is used to those remarks so it doesn't bother him. What bothers him though is when their bullying prevents him from doing his job. Today it is in the form of the boy who is mocking him kicking the bucket out of Saint's hands.

Luckily, there is no water yet in it or it would have been such a waste. Saint stands up and reaches for the bucket. But as he does so, two of the older boys push Saint in the shallow stream.

A shrill yell from a girl running towards them makes the boys turn. "You idiots! Leave him alone!"

Tasanee, the 16 year old daughter of the village head, halts in front of the boys, frowning.

"Tass, we were just teasing," the younger boy who was messing with Saint earlier tries to placate the irate girl.

"Then tease him somewhere else. His clothes are soaking up all the water," Tasanee says. "And it's 'Tasanee'. Don't call me 'Tass', I'm not your friend."

The larger boy in the group hauls Saint away from the stream. "He can just wring his clothes into his bucket. Call it his water ration for the day."

"No, that's not enough water!" Saint protests, alarmed.

"It's well into the morning now, time is wasting. Why don't you boys go back to the village and I'll deal with him myself?" Tasanee offers.

"Ooh Tassanee, do you fancy this white rat? What would your father say?" An older boy taunts.

Another boy smacks his head. "Idiot. Tasanee will be offered to the Water God, don't you know that? Why would she like a cursed child?"

Figuring their own parents would be furious if they delayed any longer, the boys leave. Tasanee and Saint are now alone.

"You really should go here earlier to avoid them," Tasanee says to Saint, her demeanor friendlier now that there are no spectators.

"I know. I woke up late. I had the strangest dream about soaking in a tub filled with the clearest water I have ever seen."

Tasanee giggles. "I wouldn't want to wake up too." She looks at his clothes. "Well you got the soaked part right. You better hurry up and wring those clothes. People will be mad at you if you go back looking like that. They'll say you're wasting precious water."

"Yes, you're right." Saint silently wrings his clothes and then finally collects water into his bucket. "Why are you here anyway? Your family gets your water rations delivered to your house."

Tasanee shrugs. "I was looking for you because I wanted to ask if you have time to look at my dress for the festival but then I heard your aunt yelling about how you haven't done your chores. I figured you'd be here."

"You have your dress already?" Saint asks, smiling. He is excited for Tasanee.

"Of course, silly. The festival is tonight. Have you not noticed the decorations up at the town?"

Saint shook his head. "I haven't gone yet. You know there are lots to do at the barn. But I will go later. I want to see you win the ritual this year."

"Oh I don't know. It is my first year as one of the maiden offerings because I just recently turned sixteen...I think maybe the previous maiden will be chosen," Tasanee says demurely.

At the festival, you'd have to be at least sixteen to even be considered as one of the maidens offered to the Water God.

"I'm sure you'd win the ritual this year and be blessed by the Water God. Everyone knows you're the most beautiful maiden among all of the candidates."

Flattered, Tasanee tells Saint she'll wait for him at the festival. They both came back to the village - Saint carefully holding his bucket full of water and Tasanee skipping alongside him and then detouring to her house.

Saint smiles after her. Tasanee is such a nice girl, befriending Saint when all the people of their village shuns him. His musing is cut short when his Aunt sees him and yells at him to go to work.

Later that day, Saint makes sure he is done with his chores early and then ponders what to wear. He only has a handful of clothes but he doesn't want to embarass Tasanee for his appearance so he uses what little water he has to wash his face and body thoroughly before changing into clothes that are at least clean and has no holes or stains on them. He ties up his hair and then proceeds to the towncenter.

The sun has already set and bright torches are being lit when Saint arrives at the town. He spots Tasanee sitting among other candidates up at the makeshift stage at the center of the festivities. He makes his way through the hoards of people. It seems like for this one night, everyone, rich or poor, is out to celebrate the Water God which is ironic given the circumstances. But of course Saint is not about to say that out loud. He doesn't want any more trouble.

But trouble does find him. As soon as he weaves through the crowd, women began noticing him. They are annoyed that this man looks absolutely attractive even in shabby clothes. His hair is jet black and silky, his fair skin almost glowing and his face easily the most beautiful one in the crowd. The women throw him displeased looks as he passes by them. Saint himself does not notice the animosity until one woman bumps into him and accuses him of bumping into her.

"Your dirty clothes touched my dress!" She exclaims.

Saint tries to explain and apologize but upon seeing that they are drawing attention, the girl suddenly cries, playing the victim.

"Is this cursed child bothering you?" A rough looking older man intervenes. "Go home child, you don't belong here."

"Where were you going anyway? To the stage?" A random person asks.

At the stage, the ceremony is starting, one of the elders speaking about the significance of the ritual and how it is the elders' responsibility to choose one of the maiden according to the Water God's will. The new candidates look visibly excited. After all, there are a lot of benefits for the chosen maiden and her family. For that whole year, the girl and her family is revered and respected. It is said that to anger them is to anger the Gods.

The former maiden has her head held high. She has had her position for 3 years and she believes she will win again. Tasanee on the other hand, demurely sits, waiting.

Down at the crowds, the gathering around Saint is small enough not to cause disturbance to the ceremony but is substantial enough for Saint to feel uncomfortable.

"Are your eyes bad? Why do you have to go near?" The rough looking man asks.

"Ooh I heard he seduced one of the farm boys when he was younger. It was quite a scandal. Perhaps he fancies himself one of the maidens. You're not a girl, cursed child and even if you are, the Gods only accepts virgins." The man's friend leers at Saint.

Murmurs erupt at the audience the display gathered. Saint bit his lips and looks down.

_I didn't seduce him! He touched me inappropriately and tried to take me to bed!_

But of course no one will believe him. Just like no one believed him that day he was a child running away from that man, disheveled and bruised from fighting back, believing someone will side with him, protect him.

No one did. Instead he was met with ridicule and blame.

"Why don't we take him to the stage then, it'll be a dream come true for him," a voice shouts from the crowd.

They laugh, finding the idea hilarious. They drag Saint up the stairs to the stage despite his protests. The elders gave disapproving looks at the commotion but for the most part let it play out. Saint looks at Tasanee pleadingly. Perhaps if she says a word, this ridicule will stop.

"Tass-" Saint starts to say but one of the men backhands him.

Tasanee's eyes widens as she recognized her friend. But she keeps still, terrified of making a mistake at her important day.

Saint tries to pull away from the men holding him and he breaks free but the momentum pushes him down on the floor of the stage, twisting his ankle as he falls. He whimpers in pain but tries to stand up.

The elder on the stage steps forward to shoo the man intruding the ceremony. But before he could, a golden light shoots down from the sky towards the stage.

The people backs away in panic. Saint tries to back away too but his injured ankle makes him slow. He could only watch in horror as the golden light comes crashing straight to him. He closes his eyes, awaiting his death.

And then the strangest thing happens. The light stops. In its place is a golden orb. It taps Saint gently on his forehead, hovers and then settles itself on Saint's shoulder. Then a bright golden light envelops Saint for a moment and then disappears. The orb remains perched on him.

Everyone is stunned silent. And then all at once, noise erupts from the crowd, people talking over each other, each baffled by what happened.

"It...it can't be..." The elder says.

"And one shall be the Water God's chosen, protected by his holy light," the former chosen maiden recites the prophesy in monotone, still in shock. Every year, one of the elders utters those words just before they choose the maiden for that year's festival.

Saint looks at her, confused.

"No, it must be a hoax, a trick!" The elder tries to take away the gold orb from Saint but the orb spins and hisses like an angry cat and then nestles closer to Saint's neck.

Saint touches the orb and holds it. The orb goes willingly.

_What are you?_

Then the orb bounces out of Saint's hand.

"Oh maybe he's not the the one after all," one of the elders say in relief. "Quick maidens, line up!"

But the orb only zooms past them and is caught by the hand of the man who materialized in front of everyone.

Or more acurately, a God.

For Perth, the Water God himself, is in front of all the humans, floating on air, his blue and white layers of robes remaining dry despite the tendrils of water swirling around him.

"The water God...It is the water God!" One of the elders says. "Oh Divine One!" He kneels down, followed suit by the other people.

Perth couldn't care less, busy frowning at his traitor of a magical item. "Show me then."

The orb floats back to Saint who is struggling to kneel.

"I don't like you kneeling," Perth says.

The elders inch closer to Saint. "Forgive us Oh Divine One, we shall remove him from your presence-"

"Silence." Perth doesn't even have to shout and the elders back away immediately. That's how intimidating he is.

"Divine One..." Saint utters, still not understanding what's happening.

Perth sighs and then glares at someone invisible to everyone else. "My word is a promise, Aisha, I know." He turns to Saint. And to the surprise of everyone, kneels right in front of Saint.

"Oh no-"

Saint is interrupted by Perth taking his hand. "We are to be equals. You shall not treat me like a God for you will be immortal yourself. You, chosen one, will marry me and come with me to my realm."

Saint can only gape at the Water God in shock.


	3. The Most Bizarre Dream Ever

Perth looks at the dumfounded human in front of him. Might as well get to know the person he will spend eternity with. But the person in question doesn't seem very intelligent if the continued silence is to go by.

Perth sighs. "Do you have a name?"

"Saint. My name is Saint." The human then starts to dust off Perth's robe, to the God's surprise.

"What are you doing?" Perth asks.

"Your robe-" Saint starts to speak but his voice is drowned out by an elder speaking out.

"How insolent! Touching the Divine One's clothes!" This one is a gray-haired old man sitting down on a chair not far from where the God is kneeling next to Saint.

"Kneel." Perth purses his lips, annoyed. He really does not like humans.

A younger woman kneeling beside the elder touches her forehead to the ground in reverence to the God. "Please forgive my grandfather, Divine Water God. He has bad knees and so cannot kneel. He means no disrespect."

Perth waves his hand, the other still holding Saint's hand. "Very well. But he will do well to remember his place." He looks at the elder whose head is bowed down. "Do not interrupt Saint again."

From behind him, Aisha floats closer, still invisible to anyone but Perth. "Ooh how protective."

Perth rolls his eyes at Aisha and then gets up on his feet, pulling Saint up to stand. He frowns when he sees the human wincing. "What's wrong with you?"

The Oracle, the gold orb that was on Saint's lap earlier, springs up to life and hovers at Saint's feet.

"I think I injured my foot..." Saint says.

Perth glances at Aisha.

Aisha shakes her head. "Don't look at me, you can heal that yourself, you lazy God."

Perth sighs. He is quite tired of being in the presence of humans for so long and wishes to disappear and not deal with all of this.

"I can still walk." Saint proceeds to do so and promptly veers to the right, almost falling.

Perth catches him in his arms. "Clearly not." He carries Saint as if the human is as light as a feather.

From her spot, Aisha grins but quickly smothers her smile before Perth could see.

"Please put me down," Saint protests. "I can walk, truly. I don't want to bother you, Divine Water God."

"You are not bothering me." Perth ponders where to take Saint to heal his foot. "I can't take you to my realm yet. Is there any place more private than here? I am tired of this crowd."

From the women at one side that are all kneeling down, Tasanee raises her head. "Divine One, my home is not far from here. It is quite comfortable there and quiet. My family would be honored if you'll use our house."  
  


From the crowd, her parents murmur their agreements, pleased that their daughter is talking to the God.

Saint looks at his friend, concerned. "Tasanee, your clothes are getting dirty."

"You know her?" Perth asks.

Saint nods. "She's my friend."

"Friend huh?" Perth says.

"Friends, those that you don't have." Aisha laughs when Perth glares at her. "Fine, I'll get lost. I'm quite sure you'll keep your word anyway. See you soon, child." She smiles at Saint even though he can't see her and then disappears even from Perth's sight.

"Lead the way then, human," Perth says to the girl.

Tasanee silently stands up and walks down the stairs. Her parents accompany her and they all head to where a line of rickshaws are waiting. The attendant quickly helps Tasanee settle into one and then her parents on another, glancing nervously at the ethereal being behind them who is carrying a full-grown man. Perth looks more human now just walking on the ground and without the water tendrils around him but his presence still cannot be ignored. Besides, the Oracle is still circling the two of them, it's golden hue fascinating.

"Will you take a rickshaw, Divine One?" Tasanee asks.

Perth shakes his head. "Just show me the way."

"I can walk," Saint insists again. "Or I can take a rickshaw."

He really can't. He has no money for it. But perhaps Tasanee will let him borrow if he asks. He can pay her back by doing chores for her family.

"Go ahead, we'll follow," Perth says to Tasanee.

Once the rickshaws move, Perth turns to Saint and instead of carrying him lying down, he shifts the human so that he is holding him by the waist, clutching him close. Saint instinctively holds onto Perth's shoulder, his face turning red in embarassment. Even as a child, no one has carried him this way. Despite literally holding him captive in this position, Perth's hold is gentle, light. Saint marvels at the contrast.

All throughout the short travel to Tasanee's house, Perth carries Saint like that. Halfway there, made braver by the darkness, Saint decides to talk to the God.

"Did you mean it?"

The Water God hums in question. "Did I mean what?"

"Me being the chosen one. Why me?"

Perth scoffs. "That's a question for that pesky orb following you around."

The orb in question slams against Perth's back in retaliation and then settles on Saint's hand.

"This golden orb?" Saint lets the orb bounce on his hand as it wishes.

"I call it the Oracle and it's supposed to amplify it's owner's power - previously me, now you as well. It's not easily won over but it likes you. That's impressive and it means you're the chosen one." Perth omits the part where he stupidly asked the Oracle to choose his bride thinking it won't choose anyone.

Before they know it, they arrive at Tasanee's house already. Tasanee and her parents are already waiting by the door. Today's event might be surprising but the young girl's parents for sure will not let go of the chance to please the Water God.

Tasanee herself is quiet and expressionless as she guides them to a spare room. Saint has never seen his friend quite like this.

Perth, on the other hand, is observing his surrounding. They passed by barrels, most of them containing some water, but the ground must not have received much of those water because it is dry and parched. He takes note of that fact but doesn't pay too much attention on it otherwise.

At the room Tasanee shows them to, Perth gently puts Saint down on the bed.

"If you need anything else, Divine One, you can just call for us," Tasanee says before quickly retreating out of the room.

Saint hopes he can talk to her later. However, his attention is brought back to the present when a cold but soothing sensation envelops his injured foot which he finds out to be water that came out of nowhere. When it drips down and seeps through the wooden floor, Saint is almost sad. Growing up with limited water means he values it so much and does not want to see it go to waste.

He is so deep in that thought that he doesn't immediately notice that his foot is healed. It catches him by his surprise when he turns his foot and there is no pain. He looks at Perth, surprised.

"Now you don't have to limp around," the Water God says.

"Thank you," Saint smiles, sincerely grateful.

Perth stares at Saint's smile. _This human really is so beautiful._

Saint yawns, his smile turning apologetic after. It's been a long day and the night is deepening.

"Go to sleep, Saint."

Saint lies down and before long, he loses the battle against sleep.

"How incredibly trusting," Perth whispers. He wonders if Saint is just naturally like this.

At the corner of his eye, the Water God sees the Oracle flying towards the bed but before it can lie down next to the human, Perth blocks it with his hand.

"You'll disturb his slumber. Come on, you're going with me. We have to talk to that human girl."

The man on the bed sleeps on, oblivious, as the God and the golden orb leaves the room.

When Saint wakes up, he thinks he just had the most bizarre dream ever.

He is taken aback when he sees that he is in an unfamiliar room but refuses to believe still that the events of yesterday are real. There is no way that _he_ , the cursed child, is chosen as the Water God's bride. That's ridiculous.

"Good morning." The door opens and in comes Tasanee. She might be greeting him but there is no smile on her face.

"Tass! Where am I?"

"My house," Tasanee says.

Saint jumps off the bed and hurriedly smoothens the sheets. "Oh no, why am I sleeping in this bed. Don't worry, I'll wash these. It just might take a while because I have little ration of water left..." He thinks about the water back in his Aunt and Uncle's house. He spent his own ration on cleaning himself up for the festival.

Tasanee shakes her head. "You don't have to worry about water. The Divine One made sure our barrels are full of water and he promised he'll give us more once he comes back to take you away."

Saint lets go of the sheets. "The Divine One?"

"Yes, the Water God. He left his gold orb." She points to the side of the bed where indeed the Oracle is peeking out.

Saint gently picks up the orb. "So you're real. The Oracle. I wasn't dreaming," he whispers, in awe.

"I wonder how I should address you now. 'O holy one'?"

Tasanee's sarcastic voice makes Saint turn to her. She is clutching her skirt, her hands trembling.

"Tass, what are you saying? Why would you call me like that?"

When Tasanee looks at him, there are tears in her eyes. "Because you're going to be the Water God's bride. I thought it was going to be me, you know, the one from legend. I always thought all those rituals with those fake maidens are just because it's not yet my turn." She wipes away her tears and glares at him. "But it's you. Why Saint? Haven't I been kind to you? When everyone in this town hated you, I helped you. But they were right. You bring bad luck and now you're taking away my dream."

"Tass, please don't cry." At a loss on what to do, Saint's eyes land on the Oracle. He remembers what the Water God told him - that the orb was the one who chose him.

Saint feels guilty because to be honest, he had been happy to be chosen. No one ever chooses the orphan cursed child for anything good. And the Water God had been so gentle, so kind to him. That's why he did not protest when the God called him his 'chosen one'. But of course he doesn't deserve it. Tasanee is far more deserving to be the Water God's bride.

Saint holds out the Oracle in front of Tasanee. "Here, he'll choose you if you have this."

Affronted, the orb breaks free from Saint's hand and nestles close on his chest, right where it can feel his heart beating rapidly.

"Come on, please. You made a mistake. It should be Tasanee," Saint pleads with the Oracle.

"It's no use, Saint. Everything already happened." Tasanee sniffs and then starts to head to the door. "Let's go, I'll take you to your breakfast. Your soon to be husband will be angry if we don't serve you well."

"Tass..."

She does not turn to look at him. "It's Tasanee. 'Tass' is just for my friends, _O Holy One_."

Saint feels like he'd been slapped. As he follows Tasanee, he thinks about her words. She had said that the Water God will come take him away, which means he has a chance to talk to him again.

_That's right, it's not yet over. I can still make this right._

And Saint is determined to do so.


	4. To Err is Human, To Forgive Divine

Back in his realm, Perth is inspecting every corner of his palace while his attendants, the water sprites, are trailing after him. It is a fairly unusual sight because they tend to work without their master seeing them but ever since he got back from the human realm, the Water God has been constantly giving them instructions. They quickly learn to just follow him around.

Perth frowns at the bedroom he will give to Saint. It is spacious and airy, with the cool breeze of the forever spring weather flowing in from the large windows. At the middle of the room is a four-poster bed with white fabric draping over the top and on all sides to form a canopy. It feels...inadequate.

And he says so out loud.

The sprites flutter their glass-like wings and fly all over the place, inspecting the window, the furnitures, the bed. They even inspect the fabric for the canopy. With every disaproving frown from the master, they grow more and more frantic and restless.

This is the scene that Aisha walks in on and it surprises her - in a good way. "Seems like I was right."

"About what?" Perth asks and then waves over a sprite who is twisting the bed sheets into some kind of origami, of all things. Sometimes, he remembers why he prefers not to see them work.

"All you needed was a companion, some social interaction. Look how excited you are at having your betrothed over." Aisha gestures at the room. "I haven't seen you redecorate your palace ever. And that's saying something considering how many centuries I've known you."

"It's only proper for me to prepare for a guest," Perth replies. He taps his foot on the marble floor. It's cold.

_No, that won't do._

Immediately, soft, green grass blankets the floor.

Aisha raises an eyebrow pointedly at what Perth just did.

"Do not say a word," Perth snaps.

Aisha laughs. "So, while you are panicking over here-"

"I'm not panicking!"

"-isn't your betrothed wondering where you are?" A teasing smile. "Maybe he misses you."

To Aisha's delight, there is a red tinge to Perth's cheeks. "No he doesn't. He is in the company of the Oracle and his friend."

"His friend? That pretty human girl at the festival?"

Perth nods. "Yes. I asked her and her family to take care of Saint."

"Saint huh?" Aisha grins. She set out for this mission of finding a bride for the Water God to curb his loneliness but now even she is entertained too.

"I have to know his name." Perth's tone is defensive.

"Of course you do, Perth." When Perth glares at her for her condescending tone, she giggles and decides to stop teasing Perth already. "But seriously, be honest with me. You're excited to have that boy live here, aren't you?"

"Hmm, it's a way to pass the time. He doesn't seem entirely dull." But there is a soft smile on his lips.

Aisha is contented. _My work here is done._ "Alright, I'll leave you to do whatever it is that you need to do then."

As Aisha leaves, she glances back at the Water God and remembers him as a tiny boy running around this lonely realm. He had been created out of the clouds, as most of them were. He has grown up and yet sometimes, she could still see that eager, wide-eyed boy he once was. Aisha hopes this human he will take here will see that boy too. She hopes he'll notice the Water God's heart and take care of it.

Perth hardly notices the Goddess of Life leaving, being too busy perfecting the room still. When it is as good as it can be in his eyes, he decides it is time to visit his betrothed.

Whistling, Perth flies down to where the humans are.

He finds Saint sitting by the porch of the house he left him in, looking at the Oracle at his hands, his expression forlorn.

Unbidden, Aisha's words came to Perth's mind.

_"Maybe he misses you."_

Perth shakes his head. That couldn't be.

It is the Oracle who first noticed the Water God's presence. It jumps out of Saint's hands.

"Where are you go-" Saint stops. "Divine One..."

Perth nods at him, formal. "I come to take you home."

Saint's eyes widens. "No, I need to tell you something."

Perth notices a leaf on Saint's hair and gently reaches out to remove it. "What is it?"

The action derails Saint's thoughts. But then he sees Tasanee at the corner of his eyes, making her way towards them, a longing stare directed to the Water God. It spurs him into speaking. "You made a mistake. I'm not the one you should take. I'm not the one you should marry. I know nothing about serving a God, or being a wife. I'm not even a woman. Oh and children! How will you have children if you'll marry me?"

Throughout Saint blurting out words, Perth is growing more and more confused. "Where is this coming from? You didn't seem resistant to the idea a few days ago."

"Pardon my interruption, Divine One but it's been a few weeks, not a few days," Tasanee corrects. "Perhaps Saint is simply tired. He isn't used to being patient, you see."

Perth's brows furrow. "Is that so?"

Saint is torn between his emotions. On one hand, now that Perth is disappointed in his complete lack of patience, as what Tasanee said, he might perhaps reconsider their marriage and take Tasanee instead. It is what Saint wants to happen so his friend will be happy. But on the other hand, there is a sharp pain in his chest at disappointing the God who had extended his hand to him. He doesn't want him to hate him, as so many people already does.

Tasanee daintily bows. "If you are interested, Divine One, may I tour you around the house? You were in a hurry the last time. Perhaps Saint needs time to collect himself, _don't you Saint_?" Her last words are loaded with meaning.

Saint slowly nods.

"Look at me, Saint," Perth says.

Saint does and nearly glances away at the sincerity he sees on those eyes. The Water God's eyes are intense and piercing. Saint feels like the God can see to his very soul.

"Gods don't make mistakes, not like that. You are the chosen one and so you are the one I'm taking with me. I don't expect you to serve me because as I have told you, we are to be equals. And as for children, Gods are not born like humans are. And if in the future you do want children then it is possible for us to have as many of them as you desire."

Saint is rendered speechless.

It is Tasanee who speaks. "He does not want to go with you, Divine One."

Without breaking eye contact with Saint, Perth speaks. "Then he shall say those words himself. Tell me Saint, do you not want me?"

The phrasing of those words...Saint wants to cry. He isn't so sure anymore. He wants Tasanee to he happy, he really does. But in his heart, he wants to be with the Water God, to get to know him, to understand him. This is his chance to have a family. "I..."

His hesitation angers Tasanee, whom he had already promised to give the position of being the Water God's bride to. "Why won't you answer? The Divine One is asking you. You don't want to go with him, right?"

At that moment, the Oracle flies and stops on Perth's shoulder and makes a sound. Saint and Tasanee only hears strange hissing from the orb but Perth hears the truth. In an instant, Perth looks every bit the God that he is - his face serious and his eyes flashing in anger.

"How dare you put ideas on his head," Perth thunders, his ire directed at the deceptively fragile-looking girl in front of him.

"Divine One, I d-don't know-" Tasanee begins, terrified.

"You told him it should be you that I choose. And that he is not worthy to be mine," Perth says.

Tasanee kneels down. "No, Divine One! I would never-" She turns to Saint who is still in shock. "Tell him, Saint."

Immediately, Saint tries to defend her but he is just about to open his mouth when Perth raises a hand.

"He will no longer lie for you." Perth shows her the Oracle. "You should have thought twice before speaking nonsense where the Oracle can hear."

Her and Saint's eyes widen in realization. They didn't think the Oracle can actually communicate with the Water God.

"Forgive me, Divine One!" Tasanee cries. "I was simply looking out for you. Saint received no training and he is believed to be cursed."

Saint flinches. He didn't think Tasanee would bring it up. Now, definitely the Water God would not choose him.

But Perth has had heard enough. He grabs Saint by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes. "The Oracle has already told me the answer but I want to hear it from you. Would you like to marry me?"

Saint's eyes stray to Tasanee who is shaking her head furiously, tears flowing down her cheeks. But Perth gently turns his face back to him.

"Answer me, Saint."

"Y-yes. Yes I'd like to marry you."

Perth smiles and carries Saint much like how he carried him that night of the festival. "Then we're going home." He glances at Tasanee. "As for you, I wonder how I should punish you."

Saint clutches Perth's arm. "Please. Please forgive her."

Perth ponders. "Very well. To err is human, to forgive divine." It is an age-old saying that is passed on from generations after generations. Humans are born imperfect after all and it is a divine act to forgive them despite that. "I'll let it go this time. But you better be grateful to Saint all your life. He has saved you."

And so Saint and Perth leaves the distraught girl and the cruel human world behind, the Oracle dutifully at their side, and goes to the water realm.

One would think that they live happily ever after from then on but that's not the case. Their story is just beginning.

Once they arrive at the Water God's realm, it is every bit as awkward as one would expect of two strangers who don't really know each other but are expected to marry. Their prior interactions with each other if combined would not even make one whole day.

And also, there is the matter of Perth thinking he had gone too far in revealing his emotions and asserting his dominance. He had basically taken Saint from everything he knew to this strange new world.

Saint on the other hand is terrified of making a mistake, of displeasing the God. Tasanee had been right after all, he received no training for this sort of thing.

And so after an awkward tour of the palace which basically consisted of the Water God saying "Here is your room. You are free to roam around," they are left just awkwardly staring at each other.

Until Saint notices the ornate porcelain bathtub in his room. It looks just like the one in his dream. And sure enough, it is filled with clean, clear water.

Perth notices the attention to the bathtub and grabs that chance as a conversation starter. "Do you like it?"

Saint nods quickly, excited. "I've never seen so much water for bathing." He pauses. "It is for bathing, right?"

Perth smiles. Saint has the exuberance of a child at this moment and he likes seeing his eyes spark like that. "Of course. You are about to marry a Water God, you will see so much water, you'd get sick of it."

Saint shakes his head. "I doubt that." Then he remembers the people in his village. No matter how they treated him, he still feels guilty enjoying this luxury of water when all of them are suffering over there. "Divine One...do you think...do you think you could perhaps bless the people with rain?"

"Oh." Perth didn't think that would be Saint's first request. It speaks so much to the human's character though.

Mistaking Perth's silence for annoyance at his request, Saint babbles more. "I promise I'll be very very good. I'll listen to you and um..." He looks around the large room. "And maybe you need someone to clean the palace? I'm very good at chores, I do them everyday back at my Aunt and Uncle."

He nervously waits for Perth's answer.

Perth steps forward but stops when Saint flinches. "Told you I don't expect or need you to serve me." He can't help but frown. He wonders at Saint's actions. It's like he's always scared of him.

_Do you fear me?_

"But what...what will I do here?"

Saint is used to a life of labor. For as long as he can remember, he has been working and resting only for a bit of sleep. He feels unsettled now that he is not expected to do anything.

"Sleep. Explore the realm. I have been told there are plants and creatures here that you humans have never seen. And if you want, you can talk to me."

"You'll listen to me?" Saint is in awe. No one ever wants to listen to him.

"Of course. I like hearing you talk. As for your request, the first rain will be on our wedding. I want the humans to never forget the day of our union."

Saint smiles, overjoyed that the God is honoring his request. "Thank you, Divine One."

"You keep calling me that."

Saint tilts his head. "What else am I supposed to call you?"

"Oh right, you humans don't know our names, just our titles," Perth realized. "You can call me Perth."

Later, as he turns to leave, Perth catches sight of the water sprites outside the door. They are curious about this newest addition to the realm.

Perth looks back at the open door to Saint's room. The human is sitting on the bed and staring blankly at the grass on his feet. He looks...lonely. But it is not Perth's place to comfort him. Not yet. They don't know each other that much after all.

Instead, Perth does the only thing he can now. And that is to ensure that Saint is treated in the best manner possible. He turns to his sprites.

"From now on, you serve Saint as you serve me. Anything he wants, anything he asks for, you do your best to give it to him," Perth says.

He walks on. Once he can no longer be seen, the sprites huddle to the door, peeking at the one the Master asked them to serve.

Saint doesn't notice them, his mind faraway. Earlier, with the excitement of eveything happening, it did not sink in that this is it, this is to be his life from now on. The silence is getting to him. He never knew how comforting all the sounds of the village are until now that all he hears is silence.

The Oracle rolls over to Saint, resting at his foot, trying to comfort him.

"Thank you," Saint says to the Oracle. He allows himself a few minutes to wallow at the loneliness he already feels but then after that he stands up and takes a deep breath. "I should stop whining. I wanted this and this is a good thing. I'm sure the Divine One - oh, um, Perth - doesn't want a crying mess for a wife."

At the door, the water sprites nod to each other, determined to take care of this beautiful creature their master has brought home.

Perhaps for the first time in forever, the water realm would no longer emanate with loneliness but instead be filled with smiles and laughter.

One can only hope.


	5. A Whole New World

A few days layer, Saint is exploring Perth's realm when he happens to hear a strange, thunderous sound. It sounds like...rushing water. Curious, he steps closer and behind some trees he sees a magnificent sight unlike anything he's witnessed before. There is water falling over rocks and pooling below. But it is not like the stream from his village. No, this one is larger and seems to flow elsewhere. Perhaps it is what the older people in their village refer to as 'river'?

Saint can barely contain his excitement as he runs over to see the body of water up close. He marvels over the soil - how rich and supple it is compared to the dry and ashy soil he knows - and the strange moist greenery on some of the rocks. Unknown to Saint, those are moss. Because he has no idea what they are though, he thinks nothing of stepping on them. Of course, he promptly slips.

He would have landed on his face on the ground if it isn't for the water sprites that has been secretly following him all this time. One sprite clutches the robe at his back and two more are on either side of him, holding on to his arms. They are suprisingly strong.

"Thank you," Saint says when they lower him to safer ground. "Are you one of those creatures Perth said I'll find here?"

Instead of answering, one of the sprites leaps in front of Saint, creating small footprints on the soil. Then it leaps again, creating another set of footprints. The sprite does this two more times while one sprite grabs Saint's robe and flies up. Or tries to. Another sprite smacks it down when Saint yelps.

The two sprites are smacking each other. Saint doesn't understand the rhythmic clicking sounds they are using to communicate but they seem to be arguing based on the body language and the changes in pitch.

"Oh no, please don't fight. Are you trying to guide me to the water?"

That is his best guess and it seems to be right because the two sprites nod. The one sprite making footsteps in the ground waves its hands and points at the footsteps. Saint finally gets it.

"Oh, is that the safe way?"

He follows the footprints carefully. Once near the riverbank, Saint turns to the child-like creatures that guided him. "I'm sorry to bother you. I've never seen those green slippery stuff before and thought it safe to step on. What is that?"

The sprites answer him in the same clicking sounds.

"I don't understand your language, I'm so sorry. I'll ask Perth to teach me so I can understand you," Saint promises.

His face heats up in embarassment as he remembers Perth. He hasn't seen him since he first brought him to this realm. Sometimes he thinks the Water God had forgotten about him if not for the food that appears in his room magically everyday. The food is always fresh, warm and bountiful. He wishes he could share it with the people from the village. But each day, Saint expects the food to be gone and for the God to be demanding for due payment. And what else could he offer if not for his body?

Tasanee told him all about it, that he is expected to _pleasure_ the Water God with his body and let him enter him...Saint shudders at the details. It seems quite painful and most of all difficult. He has no idea how to do all that and he is terrified that he'll do such an awful job and Perth will punish the people from his village because of it.

The sprites see Saint's distress and nervously flutter their wings and talk to each other in soft tones. They must do something. The master will not be pleased to know his betrothed is not happy.

One of the sprite suddenly jumps into the river and splashes water to Saint. The other two try to alternately shield Saint, dry out the part of his robe that got water on, and emphatically wave their hands and flutter their wings at the mischievous sprite.

Saint giggles, distracted from his thoughts. He touches his hair and his face that now have droplets of water on it, his earlier amazement returning. "From the day I was born, I have never seen this much water in my life. And I've only ever heard of rain. I wonder if it feels like this?"

Upon hearing him mention rain, the three sprites fly up and circle above Saint's head and them water began to drizzle down from their hands.

"Is this...is this rain?" Saint is ecstatic. He leans back on his hands and for a few seconds, he closes his eyes and lets the water flow on his face. It is glorious.

From behind the trees, more sprites peek in at the scene. When Saint opens his eyes, he sees them and waves them over.

"Hello there. You can join us."

As they fly nearer, Saint observes all of them and their smooth, water-like structures. Even their hair look like clear water. They are solid to the touch though as evident by when some of them huddle closer and lean on Saint. Their 'skin' is cool to the touch but dry. It is a wonder but Saint thinks they're beautiful.

One sprite places a flower crown on Saint's head. He hasn't even realized from where the sprite got it.

"Thank you."

The three sprites who were with Saint earlier stop sprinkling water on him and settle near him, touching the flower crown and his hair.

"How is it? Is it pleasing? Do you think..." He blushes. "Do you think Perth will like it?"

The sprites nod and in a collective effort begin to fix Saint's robes and then arrange the flower crown on his head. One even flies away and then comes back promptly holding a thin strip of fabric. They incorporate the fabric into the flower crown and then start to braid Saint's hair. Saint let them. They might as well. Although he's not very confident his looks can change much. It is true he has a feminine face - a fact that had earned him insults from the other boys but is now something to be thankful for - but his body is decidedly not something he is proud of. Besides, even if his looks do improve, it will still be for nothing if he does not know how to please the Water God in bed.

He stands up and starts to pace, the sprites following his movements with their heads.

"I think I need to go back to my room now."

The sprites walk with him until he is at the door to his room, concerned about the man's reddening face.

"If you don't mind, could you perhaps promise not to go near my room for the next hour or so?"

The sprites tilted their heads almost in unison.

Saint's smile is tinged with nervousness. "Um I have to get ready for Perth."

One sprite points to the bathtub in Saint's room and pulls at his robe, intending to help him wash. But Saint's face only turn a shade redder as he smoothens down his robe.

"Please don't. I d-don't want anyone else to see me..."

Reluctantly, the sprites leave and because they have been instructed to follow any of Saint's requests, they do keep away from his room.

Once the sprites are gone and the door closed, Saint approaches the closet and opens it to see the beautiful garments Perth left for him. He pulls out a white robe with fancy lace and admires it as he lays it down on the bed.

He then undresses and folds his clothes neatly before dipping his body in the bathtub, careful not to mess up the work the sprites have done on his hair. Aside from food, another thing that keeps magically appearing in his room are fragrant flowers in the water. Today it is lavender.

Saint allows himself to soak, thinking it will be better later if he smells like flowers. Blushing once again, he reaches down to clean his genitals and his rear end. No one has taught him anything about what to do when having intercourse so he's not entirely sure what he's doing. He does know from things he heard growing up that Perth would have to insert his manhood into him. He heard it isn't uncommon to bleed.

Saint feels faint but he cannot back out now. Perth has been so kind to him and it has been days with him not receiving anything in return. This...this can be a gift. He is sure the Water God would much prefer the soft body of a woman instead but since they are already in this situation, Saint will try his best anyway.

_And I'm sure Perth will not be too rough on me. He has been so gentle so far..._

Saint wonders how Perth will touch him. He wonders how it would feel when Perth's lips meet his, when the Water God's hands travel on his body...

His hands caress his own skin subconsciously, from his pale neck down to his chest, and lower still...

Unbidden, the memory of the farm boy who tried to sleep with him interrupts Saint's thoughts. He flinches and removes his hand on his body. He draws his knees to his chest and rests his head on them. He's suddenly so tired. He hugs his knees to stop the worry and the fear but it does nothing to calm him down.

_Come on Saint. No one wants a whining boy._

He steps out of the tub and takes a deep breath. After patting himself dry, he puts on the fancy white dress and stands in front of the mirror on one side of the room. He looks decent. The sprites did a good job on his hair and it complements the lace on his dress. If Tasanee could see him now, perhaps she'll tease him.

When they were barely teens - Saint was 14 and Tasanee 12 - she had forced him to wear her mother's white dress.

_"You look good in white, Saint. It's a good thing you don't intend to marry a woman because then she'd feel like she's competing with you on your wedding night."_

Saint had laughed. Tasanee is the only one in their village who knows how strange Saint really is. From as long as he can remember, he had never felt any attraction to girls. Tasanee says it's because of the curse. Saint thinks she's right. But it hardly mattered because no one liked Saint enough to marry him anyway and so Saint had resolved to live his life alone.

But now...

_Now I have Perth._

It makes Saint calmer. There's not even a guarantee that Perth will visit him this night. But if he does, Saint will welcome him. It's the least he can do.

And so he waits.

Night time falls but Perth is still at his rose garden, where he has been the whole afternoon. The place is illuminated by the fireflies and the bright moonlight. The Oracle is following him around and flitting through the branches of the trees, distracting Perth.

"Would you settle down? You're ruining the flowers."

The sprites had told him Saint seems to favor roses and so Perth is thinking of sprinkling rose petals in his bathtub later. He always visits the human when he's asleep, just to check on him.

The first night Perth had visited, he had placed flowers on the water because it seemed too bare. The next morning, the sprites reported that Saint was smiling and playing with the flowers. Perth had been pleased and decided to continue placing different flowers there.

So now he is trying to gather the best roses. The Oracle is making that task more difficult.

"Do you think you can leave me alone?" He says to the Oracle.

It is Aisha who answers him. "Wasn't the point _not_ to leave you alone?"

The Goddess has once again invaded Perth's wards. The Water God isn't even surprised anymore. "State your business and go."

"How rude," Aisha scoffs. She then looks around. "Wherever is that pretty human you have taken here? I wanna meet him."

"Absolutely not." Perth inspects a rose. It seems good enough. "He's still trying to adjust to being here."

"And you're here, gathering roses at night." Aisha's tone is clearly chiding.

Perth frowns. "What's wrong with that?"

"Well, didn't you think he'd be lonely? This is all new to him. Unfamiliar. And you just left him to ponder without anyone to talk to." Aisha taps Perth's forehead. "Think. You're used to this life. But he isn't."

"I told the water sprites to tend to him," Perth reasons.

Aisha sighs. "Haven't you thought of, I don't know, talking to him yourself."

"I...have no idea what to talk to him about," Perth admits. And therein lies the problem. He really wants to make Saint comfortable in his life here. He hopes that in the long run he will grow to love the water realm. But aside from Aisha, no one ever talks to the Water God and so he's afraid of saying the wrong things and risk upsetting Saint.

"At least try, Perth. The banquet is nearing. The poor boy will already be intimidated by all the gods and goddesses who will surely be there, not to mention he will be the center of attention. You have to be able to comfort him."

The banquet is a special occasion held every time the peaches of immortality ripens. They are special fruits that grow in the Jade Pool Orchard in Aisha's domain. The peaches grant immortality and eternal youth once eaten. As the fruits only ripen every 3000 years, Perth doesn't usually have to bother with such gatherings. This coming banquet though will also be the day Perth will marry Saint, symbolized by Saint consuming the said peaches.

"That's why I told you to just bring me the peaches," Perth says.

"First of all, I am not your servant," Aisha retorts. "Second, you know that's not how it works. You need to introduce your spouse to all the gods and goddesses because he'll be one of us once he becomes immortal."

"I think he's scared of me," Perth confides in the Goddess.

Aisha nods. "No wonder, with you huffing and frowning all the time."

Perth glares at her.

"That's not helping your case." She laughs. "Look Perth, he's scared because he doesn't know you. And it's your job to change that fact. You can't do that while you're pining out here. Just go to him and start a conversation, no matter how stilted or awkward. I promise you it'll get easier."

Just as Aisha finishes speaking, a group of water sprites fly to their master and same as usual, reports about Saint.

"He asked to be left alone?" Perth is confused. He wonders if Saint is okay.

When he glances at Aisha, she is raising her eyebrow at him.

"He asked to be left alone, Aisha. I'm not going to him now."

One of the sprites urgently says something to Perth.

"What do you mean he's distressed? I told you to make him happy!" Perth glowers at the sprites who cower away in fear.

"Oh knock it off. It's not their fault their master is being an idiot." Aisha rolls her eyes. "Go to him."

"I have to do everything around here!" Perth rants but Aisha sees the way he gently holds the roses he carries as he walks away, most probably on his way to Saint. She has a guess on who those roses are for. She turns to the sprites. "Run along dears and don't mind your master's temper. People in love are insufferable."

Meanwhile, Perth has reached Saint's bedroom swiftly. He hesitates on the closed door. But his concern over Saint overrides his apprehensions and so he knocks. He is not expecting an answer but to his surprise, Saint calls out.

"Come in."

When Perth steps into the room, he notices Saint sitting on the bed but the dim candle lights make it difficult to see his face clearly. He steps closer.

"Are you okay?" Perth asks.

"Yes," Saint answers.

When Perth is close enough, he finally sees Saint clearly. He is a vision in white. His usually straight hair is now wavy with the bottom half braided to one side, his eyes glitter in the candlelight and his full red lips slightly parted.

The Water God feels like Saint has bewitched him. He places the roses he's holding on the nightstand and then he reaches out to sweep away the lock of hair that is on Saint's cheek. The human follows the touch.

And then kneels in front of Perth.

"What are you doing?" Perth does not understand this situation.

Saint bit his lips. "I offer you my body, oh Divine One, to do as you please."

Perth says nothing.

Saint bows. In his nervousness, he begins to speak more. "I promise you I am pure. Or at least, no one has ever entered me before. If you would be so kind as to overlook that I have been touched by someone else...I will do my best to s-serve you."

Perth lifts Saint's chin. "I'm not blind or cruel, Saint. I can see you're scared."

Saint panics. He has failed. He has failed terribly. In desperation, he stands up and kisses Perth, to show him he can be good, he can do it.

Perth's eyes widen. Saint's lips are decidedly sweet and it's pure instinct to kiss back. And for a few precious moment, he is lost. He feels pleasure like never before.

But then, when Perth places his hands on Saint's waist and pulls him closer for an embrace, he finally notices that the human is trembling. He pulls away from the kiss.

"Saint?"

Saint opens his eyes and sees Perth's concerned gaze. "Yes, Divine One?"

"I told you not to call me that." Perth holds Saint's hands. "You're trembling. Is this truly what you want or are you just doing this to 'please me'?"

The Water God sees the answer in Saint's eyes. There is guilt on those obsidian orbs.

"Is that what you see when you look at me, Saint? A god so horrible he'll be intimate with someone who is not ready for it?"

Saint shakes his head, tears now falling on his cheeks. "No, you're not horrible. You have been so kind to me and so generous and I'm afraid you'll get tired of me if I don't..." He looks at his hands and begs them to stop shaking, to just stop so he can be of use. "If I'm of no use, I'll be thrown out. That's how it's always been."

Perth pulls Saint into an embrace. "You silly human." Perth wants to punish each and everyone who ever made Saint feel this way, perhaps drown them in the water they are so greedy about. "I will not throw you out. You are mine forever."

Saint sniffs. "Even if I'm like this?"

"There is nothing wrong with you. Except perhaps you have not received as much affection as you should have. I haven't had that much affection too so I have no idea if I'll even be able to comfort you," Perth ponders. "At least you've stopped trembling."

Saint notices that he has indeed stopped trembling and that his heart is not pounding out of fear. "Thank you, Perth."

Perth released Saint from the embrace and smiles. "There you go. I was wondering why you were suddenly back to calling me 'Divine One'."

Saint stares. Even at the dim lights, Perth's smile is gorgeous.

"Tomorrow, I'll accompany you in looking around the realm. If you would like me to," Perth offers.

Saint's answering smile is bright. "I'd love that."


	6. The One Who Keeps Me Warm

The morning after Saint's disastrous attempt to offer himself to the Water God, the human wakes up to find rose petals on top of his bathtub. He then remembers that Perth had been carrying roses the night before.

_He's the one placing flowers in my bath?_

Saint leans against the edge of the bathtub and plays with the roses, humming a song. He can't believe he matters enough to be given all this attention.

A knock on the door interrupts his thought.

Smile wide, Saint calls out "Perth?"

Melodious chitter respond from outside. It must be the lovely creatures he met yesterday. "Come in."

The group of water sprites enter Saint's room, carrying towels and ribbons and flowers. One is carrying sandals and another one carrying a robe.

"For me?"

Saint really wants to be able to call their name. They each look different although they have similar features and it's such a shame not to call them individually. He hopes to remember to ask Perth if they have names.

"You have such nice wings," Saint comments to the sprites flying around his room while he's submerged in the bathtub. One of the sprites is neatly washing and brushing Saint's hair as he leans back. He's not worried about his body showing because the rose petals Perth left plus the flowers brought this morning is more than enough to completely cover him.

Three sprites fly lower to let Saint touch their wings.

"Sometimes I wish I can fly. When I was a child I used to stare at the sky all the time, wondering if the air is different if you're way up. Is it?" He stares at the ceiling where intricate designs are carved and painted predominantly in the color blue. "I reckon you won't know the difference. You've never been to the human villages, have you?"

The sprites shake their heads and settle down on the soft grass carpeting the floor. They sense a story coming.

"The human world is not that beautiful compared to what you have here but it does have remarkable things. First, of course there are more people like me. Well, not exactly like me. There are men as large as bears and scrawny boys wanting to grow up to be like them."

Saint recalls how badly he wanted to fit in with those standards too, how he hated his slim figure and his fair skin.

"There are also ladies with lovely dresses and pretty faces. My bestfriend Tasanee, she's only 16 but already she can rival anyone else in our village for her beauty."

He wonders if she is well, if she already forgave him, and if he can perhaps one day visit her. He shakes his head. That is something to think about another time. It will only make him sad. He searches his memory to find more good things instead.

"At festivals, you'll see such colorful decoration up in town. They hang banners up and everyone wears their finest clothings. And the smell of delicious food would waft in the air-" Saint's eyes widens. "Of course I'm not saying the food here isn't good. It's very delicious, really."

The sprites listen attentively, their bodies leaning forward, absorbed in the story. The one brushing Saint's hair even stops mid-brush.

"So I do wonder about my village. But at the same time, there are so many nice things to see here and Perth says he'll accompany me to see more. He's really kind, isn't he? When he's with me, I feel...protected, safe." Saint doesn't even realize he's smiling. Thinking about Perth does that to him apparently.

The sprites continue to help Saint get ready and then in no time at all, he is out of the bath and into comfortable clothes. He smiles gratefully at the little creatures and then walk with them out the door.

There, he sees Perth leaning against the wall, one hand gripping the Oracle.

Saint fusses with his clothes self-consciously. "Oh. Good morning Perth."

_He must have heard everything I said! How embarrassing!_

Once Perth relaxes the hold on the Oracle, it zooms to Saint and nuzzles against his cheek.

It eases Saint's nervousness. "Hello to you too, Oracle. Did you have a good sleep?"

The Oracle whirrs, making Saint turn to Perth for the translation. Now that he knows the little golden orb is capable of language, he is eager to communicate with it.

"The Oracle doesn't sleep, Saint," Perth explains.

"I thought it does because it always leave my room before nighttime." Saint pats the Oracle absentmindedly.

Perth shakes his head. "I told all of the creatures not to disturb you at night. But if the Oracle's presence gives you comfort then I shall allow it to stay in your room."

Saint smiles gratefully at Perth and for a moment Perth just stares at him. There is a sudden, short hum from the Oracle. The chitters from the sprites sound like laughter. Perth raised an eyebrow at them and so they huddle behind Saint like chastised children.

"What is it? Did you say something?" Saint asks the Oracle.

Perth clears his throat. "The Oracle says we should get going."

The sprites once again murmur as they peek at the Water God who is avoiding eye contact with the human. Their stare speaks volume and if Saint happens to look at them he would easily guess that something is amiss and that Perth has just lied to him.

The actual words the Oracle said were: "Someone's smitten."

For the meantime though, Saint is oblivious and innocently follows Perth to wherever he will lead him, a sprite holding on to his hand and the others trailing after him. The Oracle stays on his shoulder.

During the short walk through the interesting landscapes of rock formations and greenery, Perth suddenly breaks the silence.

"Was the food as delicious as it's scent?" The Water God asks.

Beside him, Saint falters in his step a little bit. "Huh?"

"The food in your village," Perth clarifies.

_So he definitely heard me._

"I wouldn't know...I never got to eat them." Saint shrugs. "Nobody wants the cursed child near such an auspicious event."

Perth frowns. "Humans and your beliefs. You are not cursed, Saint. If you were, the Oracle would have known straightaway."

As if in agreement, the Oracle bounced on Saint's shoulder.

Saint couldn't answer. It has been so long and too many people have ingrained it into him that he is cursed. It is difficult to believe that he is anything but that. Perhaps, it is for the best that that is the moment they arrive at their destination. It is a beautiful garden filled with all sorts of flowers, all in eternal bloom. At the middle of the garden is a red bridge and below it, a large pond.

The sprites and the Oracle race to different directions - one to playfully flit in between trees and the rest to fulfill their duty and tend to the garden and back to the palace for more chores.

Saint immediately steps forward, eager to follow the creatures and see everything closely. But then he remembers his place and halts.

Perth of course notices. "Is there something wrong?"

Saint bites his lips, unsure. "Can I look around?"

"That's why I brought you here," Perth says. "The water sprites tell me you like flowers and the ones here never withers. You can look at them whenever you want."

Hearing that, Saint abandons all hesitance and gives in to the urge to look around. He is fascinated with how many different shapes and colors the flowers here are. Most of them he hasn't seen before and doubts anyone from his village has seen as well. Some trees even have luscious fruits hanging from its branches.

Perth lets Saint explore in peace and stands next to the pond quietly, looking at the colorful fishes swimming there. Unknown to him, Saint is observing him.

Just seeing Perth standing there with his regal stature and the wind rustling his hair, with some loosened petals making the background seem like a painting come to life, Saint thinks the Water God looks powerful but also incredibly gorgeous. This image in front of him and the events of yesterday fresh in his mind, Saint can hardly believe Perth is real.

_And you are to be my husband. Forever._

They say Saint is cursed but at this very moment, he feels incredibly blessed. He walks towards the pond to see what Perth is looking at.

"This pond is home to these koi fishes but you'd see many different kinds of fish in other places here in the realm," Perth shares

Saint tilts his head, confused. "What are fishes?" He has never heard of such animals before in his village.

"Have you never seen one?"

Saint shakes his head. "All the bodies of water near our village, except for one, dried up when I was a baby. I presume I've seen some when I was really really young but I don't remember anymore." He is completely transfixed at the swimming fishes, their scales shining gold or black or orange. "They're so colorful..."

Saint reaches for the fish, not noticing that he is stepping into the pond. The fishes scatter. Saint goes after them.

"Don't-" But before Perth could finish his sentence, Saint is already pulled deeper into the pond by some strange force coiling around his body and dragging him down.

Saint gasped but it only made the situation worse as he ingested water as he disappears from the surface of the water, Perth a blurry image now. At the back of his mind, Saint questions whether all ponds are really this deep.

_I can't breathe._

He is losing consciousness fast. It feels like hours has passed in his struggle.

In actuality, only seconds have passed because the moment he realized what happened, Perth immediately hauled Saint from the water, clutching the drenched human to his chest.

Once on dry land, Saint coughs up the water he ingested and then clings to Perth. He is still terrified. The Oracle is hovering worriedly around the two of them.

Heart beating hard at the ordeal, Saint belatedly realizes that Perth is speaking to him, apologizing over and over again.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Saint. I should have warned you against stepping foot into the pond while you're still human. I'm so sorry."

Saint's voice is hoarse when he answers. "Why did that happen? Did I do something wrong?"

Perth tightens his embrace on Saint. "You did nothing wrong. I should have warned you. This pond is the center of this realm and it is hostile to anything not part of this world. That includes humans."

As the God governing the water, one would expect that his embrace is cold but Perth's warmth - both his physical warmth and the way he takes care of Saint - is reassuring to the bewildered man.

"That's a relief. I thought I did something to upset the water."

Perth's stare at Saint is incredulous. "You thought you upset the water..."

Perth feels Saint nod at his chest silently. The God sighs and pulls away from the embrace. Saint shyly lets go of his grip on Perth's clothes and upon seeing it wrinkled, frantically tries to smooth it out.

Perth gently holds Saint's hands to make him stop. "You don't need to do that."

"But it's wrinkled..."

Perth looks around and finds a white flower nearby. He plucks it and shows it to Saint. "You are like this flower. Pure." He smiles fondly. "But I want you to remember that you don't have to apologize for things that are not your fault or are out of your control."

Perth is too close, his handsome face mere inches away from Saint's. "O-okay. I'll remember."

_Focus, Saint._

He leans away a little from the God so he could think without his brain shouting about how attractive Perth is. "I'll be careful while I'm human, you don't have to worry about me."

"It won't be long anyway, the peaches of immortality is nearly ripe. My estimate is that our wedding will be in 9 days or so. From then, you'd be immortal and the pond here won't react so violently to you anymore."

Nine days...nine days and Saint will be married to the Water God.

"Is there anything I need to prepare?"

Perth ponders the question. "Perhaps the only thing you need to prepare is your mind. I don't want you to be alarmed at the gods and goddesses attending, no matter how preposterous they are."

"Are they really that strange? Is it their appearance?"

Perth shakes his head. "Not so much their appearance as their actions. Some of the goddesses in particular can be a bit too much. And they can be very competitive. I'm sure they won't be thrilled that such a beautiful person will become immortal."

Saint blushes at the casual way Perth called him beautiful. He scrambles to talk about something else. "Will a lot of them attend?"

"Technically, there is always a celebration for when the peaches of immortality ripen and so our wedding coinciding with that will gather many well-wishers. They would want to meet my spouse."

All this talk about 'wedding' and 'spouse' warms Saint's heart. Finally, he'll have a person to belong to, someone who will never leave him behind or give him away.

Finally, he'll have a family.


	7. The Heart of A God

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Brief mention of attempted rape

Ever since Saint came to the Water God's realm, the place has never been the same. For instance, the water sprites who usually keep out of sight are now almost always trailing after Saint, attending to his every need - as they should - but also just wanting to be in the presence of the fair man. There is just something about his bright and positive attitude that draws everyone to him. Even the notoriously aloof Oracle is not an exemption. His favorite place nowadays is Saint's shoulder. He is often perched there, quietly observing and protecting his new ward.

This change to the realm is fascinating to Perth who is watching a few steps away at the garden by the central pond as Saint pays attention to one of the sprites. The sprite is attempting to communicate with him. The human still cannot understand them but he is obviously trying by the looks of it. That is one of the qualities that Perth admires about Saint - he is always trying his best with whatever fate has given him. He should be terrified and out of his mind with loneliness with not having any humans around to converse with but here he is, making friends with creatures who have nothing in common with him.

Saint at that moment has correctly guessed what the sprite is saying. Elated, he giggles and stretches his legs. In his mirth, he nearly touches the pond's surface with the tip of his foot. One of the sprites notices and shouts a shrill cry in alarm. The Oracle flies and hovers between Saint and the water. The orb is of this realm and so if he envelops Saint with his golden light the pond would recognize that and not harm the human.Saint carefully pulls back his leg and opens his palm for the Oracle. The golden orb lands softly on the human's palm and allows him to return him to his previous perch.

Perth steps forward, ready to intervene in case Saint is upset. It would be understandable. He did almost drown the last time he was here. But as Perth should already know by now, Saint is resillient. He doesn't dwell on the bad things. He just pushes forward. That being said, Saint does not think ill of the incident. In fact, he still enjoys being in the garden despite having to be careful not to touch the pond.

The Water God does not know all of that though and so he continues to approach the human whose back is to him, wanting to know if he perhaps need comfort from him. At the very least, he could be with someone who understands and speaks his language.

Saint, who is unaware of the worried God behind him, turns to a sprite beside him like nothing happened and innocently shows a flower crown. "As I was saying, do you think Perth would like this flower crown?"

Perth stops in his tracks. A smile grazes his lips almost involuntarily. Saint's voice is steady and has no trace of worry or apprehension.

_Perhaps you really are okay here._

"I think it suits you better," the Water God says to Saint as he takes the final steps to stand beside him. Saint is about to stand up in surprise but Perth is faster and sits down, joining the human on the grass. "Aren't you going to put that on?"

Saint only offers a confused expression. One cannot blame the human for this because he is not expecting the Water God to just show up out of the blue after not being around for days. Saint has just assumed Perth had more important things to do. He does miss him though, that's not something that can be helped. Everyday, Saint would think about him and before he knows it, Perth's name would pass his lips. He just did not think Perth would actually he here to hear it.

_How embarrassing,_ Saint thinks.

Perth points to the flower crown that Saint is still holding. "I meant that."

"Oh this!" Saint raises the flower crown. "But I..."

_I made this for you._

Saint is not quite that brave to say that. Perth has chosen him because of the prophesy but surely the Water God thinks of him as no more than a guest he tolerates. There is no way that he has even a fraction of the feelings Saint has for him. It would only burden him to hear that the human is doing silly things like making a flower crown for him or counting the days since he last saw him.

"Maybe later," Saint says instead.

The two are so focused on each other that they did not even notice the water sprites and the Oracle retreating to give them a moment to themselves. Whenever the two are together, the creatures have no worries about Saint's safety. They know the Water God will protect him.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Perth comments.

Saint looks down at his lap. "I thought...I thought I'm allowed here. Am I not?"

"Of course you are. I just thought you wouldn't like it here." Perth motions at the pond. "Bad memories and all that."

"Oh." Saint smiles, relieved that he has not violated any rules like he thought. "The pond didn't mean to hurt me. It's only protecting this place. It's protecting you."

_How can I be mad at the pond for keeping someone important to me safe?_

The human's gaze is steady on the Water God despite of the burning of his cheeks.

Perth stares at Saint. He is surprised at his answer. He has lived many years and he has seen many humans be selfish and greedy, sacrificing other people for their own benefit. Yet here is Saint, not holding a grudge for what happened to him. He drowned and still he's defending the pond. "Thank you, Saint."

"What for?"

Perth shrugs. "For taking all of these in stride. I've pulled you from everyone and everything you know and doomed you to an eternal life with me. And in the short time you are here, I've made you cry, left you alone, and you even drowned due to my carelessness. You really ought to be more angry."

Saint shakes his head. "You have shown me a new world, Perth, beyond what I can imagine, beyond what I dared to think I could have. Till now I still wake up expecting this to be all just a dream."

"You said there was someone else."

Confused once again, Saint asks for clarification. "Someone else?"

"You mentioned it before. That there was someone else before who touched you?"

Misinterpreting Perth's words, Saint clasps his own hands, nervous and guilty of his past once again. "I'm sorry-"

Perth places his hand on top of Saint's. "I'm not saying this because I'm angry at you. I don't care if you've been with other people before, Saint. I just worry that your heart has someone else now and I've taken you away from the person you really want to be with."

Saint holds Perth's hand urgently. "No. There's no one else, Perth. He is not in my heart. He touched me but I didn't want it. Believe me, I tried to run away as soon as I can but he had already disrobed and touched me-"

Perth frowns. "It sounds to me he forced you."

Thunder rumbles at the sky. The Water God's anger is affecting his realm. Every fiber of his being is screaming at him to protect his betrothed. At the very least, he should find the human who made Saint this distressed and teach him a lesson he will never forget.

"I should have been more careful. I admired him, you know. Maybe I did something that led him to do that." It is the same words said to him after the incident happened and repeated over and over again.

_"You should have been more careful."_

_"Why were you there in the first place?"_

_"He should have thought you're a girl with all that fair skin!"_

He was able to escape before something grave happened but from then on, he had began to think that maybe the people of the village were right. Maybe he was at fault.

"Saint, you listen to me. No one, _no one_ , is allowed to touch you intimately without your consent." There is a deadly calm to Perth's demeanor as he asks, "Now who is that scum of the earth that did that to you?"

"I don't want to talk about him anymore..." Despite Perth's reassurance, Saint is still terrified that once he meets the man from his past and hears all about that day, the Water God would find him disgusting and would no longer want to be with him.

Perth sighs. "Alright, I won't ask anymore." He doesn't want to upset Saint anymore. He's a God. He can find that man by his own means. "Before I forget, I was looking for you because I have news about you being immortal."

"Oh? What news?"

"The peaches of immortality are ripe and Aisha, the goddess of life, is inviting us to the banquet tomorrow."

Saint's eyes widen. "You mean...?"

Perth nods. "We're going to be married by the end of the banquet." He snaps his fingers for the water sprites' attention and they rush towards them carrying precious load - silk robes with intricate designs embroidered. Each one is different but not any less luxurious than the others. "I prepared clothes for you to wear on our trip. I hope you like it. If there is something you're not satisfied with, you can tell the sprites. They work fast, they can fix it in no time."

The sprites nod enthusiastically, wanting to please the human.

Saint reaches for a red robe. It has gold embroidery on one side of what looks like a sea dragon riding the waves. He touches the dragon reverently.

"Saint? Is it not to your liking? That's the robe I had made for our wedding. I added the sea dragon as a symbol to which realm you belong to. Should I remove it?" Perth asks.

"No, no. This is beautiful." Saint touches the robe reverently. "I was just wondering what I did to deserve all of these."

"The clothes? They're mere trinkets. It's the least I could give you."

Saint shakes his head. "Everything, not just the clothes. My whole life...I expected nothing. I didn't dare to dream of having a partner who would treat me like an equal. I thought I would be lucky if Tasanee gets married later on and takes me as a servant to her children. Then here you are, showering me with all these presents and talking to me as if I'm more than what I am."

"And what do you think you are?" Perth says seriously.

The human shrugs. "A cursed child?"

"Then you are definitely more than that. Maybe it's time I tell you the story of a young lonely God, foolish enough to believe the manipulation of one human and then in anger, believed humans are all the same." Perth's eyes are sincere and full of the wonder as he turns to Saint. "And the human who changed his mind."

"Oh Perth, what happened?"

Perth stands up and looks at his reflection on the surface of the pond. "I went down to Earth once. Long ago. I met someone who I thought would love me for me, no conditions, no games. You see, immortals have lived too long to bother with things that does not amuse them. Here, love is treated as a mere pasttime. I thought it would be different on Earth. Turns out I was wrong. That human I met had somehow discovered I could do things no human can do, used me for it, and left me for another."

"How cruel!" Saint grips his clothes in anger. To repay Perth's kindness like that-

_That person does not deserve you!_

Perth calmly kneels in front of Saint, removes his grip on his clothes and gently envelops the human's hand with his own. "When I met you, I didn't know what to expect. I was hopeful because the Oracle has never steered me wrong before but I was also doubtful. But you destroyed each one of those doubts, Saint. Everyday, when you smile at me for nothing more than glancing your way, I feel like that young God again. My heart beats for you, Saint."

"D-do you mean that?" Saint cannot believe what he's hearing.

Perth nods. "Without a doubt."

Saint shyly ducks his head. "My heart beats for you too, Perth."

The Water God smiles and tilts Saint's face up. "You make me so happy, Saint. And you make me happier still for saying these words."

With a surge of confidence, Saint reaches for Perth's lips in a quick kiss and then immediately retreats and covers his face with his sleeves, his cheeks burning in embarassment.

Perth blinks twice and then smiles once again at how adorable Saint is. Upon hearing nothing, Saint peeks and discovers Perth just staring at him with a smile.

"You're so precious. Let me kiss you properly, my betrothed."

Saint slowly puts down his arms and gets rewarded by Perth's lips meeting him, kissing him softly at first and then getting deeper as their confidence grows. Saint holds on to Perth's neck and parts his lips to grant access to Perth's probing tongue. They are both panting when it's all over.

"If I wasn't concerned you're not ready yet, I would take you right here, right now. But that would have to wait until our wedding night," Perth whispers at Saint's ear.

Saint blushes once more.

Perth chuckles and plants a kiss on the human's swollen lips. "Now, are you sure the clothes are to your liking?"

Saint then realizes they had an audience all this time because the sprites are still patiently waiting beside them, holding up the clothes. His cheeks fiery red now, he answers. "They're perfect."

The next day, Perth echoes the sentiment as he watches Saint walk towards him wearing the robe. He looks absolutely stunning.

"Perfect," Perth whispers.

Saint touches his hair self-consciously upon seeing Perth. The Water God looks so handsome in his clothes. His robe is much simplier than Saint's but it is of the same color and the sleeves has the same embroidery. Saint is happy that in that at least, they match. It eases some of the doubts he had about standing next Perth and being found lacking. The sprites helped him this morning and they went out of their way to fix his hair and even placed some light colors on his lips and cheeks. But he's still a man afterall, not a beautiful bride like every God and Goddess in the banquet will surely be expecting. He cannot hide what he is even if he's dressed like this.

Not knowing the direction Saint's mind is taking, Perth is just staring transfixed at the human.He is not blind. He knows Saint has always been exceptional if looks is to be discussed. But today, he is truly glowing. For a moment, Perth wonders if perhaps there has been a mistake and Saint is a God himself.

The Oracle whirrs from it's pedestal. _"I chose right, didn't I?"_ Its voice sounds smug.

The Oracle will not be coming with them today because it detests crowds of immortals the most. It barely tolerates Aisha's presence but anyone else that is not its master or its ward will most likely be treated to a display of the golden orb's power.

Perth ignores the Oracle's teasings and smiles at Saint. "Nervous?"

Saint nods shyly. "A little."

"Don't be. I'll be with you. I won't leave you alone." Perth extends a hand. "Do you trust me?"

Saint takes the offered hand and echoes Perth's words from yesterday. "Without a doubt."

Still holding hands, they arrive at the Jade pool, Aisha's abode where they will be staying for the whole week as the banquet for the peaches of immortality lasts that long.

Saint's eyes widen as they approach the orchard where thousands of peach trees are lined up. Fairies are diligently working hard at picking peaches for the festivities that are already in full swing. They glance at the two occasionally but upon recognizing the Water God, head back to work. There is much to do and too little time to be dallying and wondering why guests are staying here instead of at the main hall where their master is.

"Is it okay to be here?" Saint hesitates. He doesn't want to bother anyone while they're at work.

Perth nods. "I wanted to show you how obsessed that old lady is with her orchard."

"Who are you calling an old lady?"

Saint turns and sees a beautiful lady standing with her arms crossed, frowning at Perth. Actually, Saint is not sure 'lady' is the right term because she looks so young. Despite her girlish features though, Saint knows better than to assume she would be weak and so he's nervous because she looks displeased. It's not good to upset an immortal. His first instinct is to protect the Perth. "He only spoke out of jest. He did not mean it. Please forgive him."

"No, I meant it." Perth smirks.

"Perth!" Saint exclaims. _What are you doing?!_

The lady laughs which perplexes Saint. She catches his expression and her face softens. "Don't be scared, dear. I'm used to that silly child's disrespect. If I minded, you wouldn't have a betrothed to marry because I would have made him disappear long ago."

Perth scoffs. "Saint, meet Aisha, the old lady who governs this whole realm and owns this orchard."

Upon hearing that the lady in front of him is the Goddess of Life herself, Saint bows down in reverence. "I am not worthy to stand in your presence, O giver of life."

"None of that, dear. You will be one of us soon." Aisha links her arm with Saint's and tugs him forward. "Now let's go. Everyone is waiting to meet you and it would be better to get the introductions out of the way in one go."

Once they arrive at the main hall, all the immortals milling about stop to focus on them, in particular to the unknown man beside Aisha.

One Goddess has on a mysterious smile as she looks at the stranger who is obviously a human. She heard Aisha introduce him as Perth's betrothed who at the end of this week-long banquet will be married to Perth and also turned immortal. Of all the Gods in the heavens, Perth is notoriously reclusive and has no interest whatsoever in any immortal - whether it be romantic or sexual. In fact, he is almost always absent at gatherings. It is also well-known that he detests humans.

So it's a puzzle how this mere human could possibly possess the Water God's heart.

Once Aisha is preoccupied with other guests, the Goddess steps forward and introduces herself. "Hello. My name is Suada."

_Goddess of Seduction_ , she purposely doesn't add. The human would learn, soon enough.

Saint smiles at her. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

_Oh you poor innocent soul._

Her eyes stray to Perth who is talking to one of the other immortals, his handsome face serious. Suada had thought him unattainable but she had been pacified by the fact that he favors no one anyway. But now that he is here with his betrothed, she simply cannot let this matter rest. She keeps her eyes on Perth as she says, "believe me, _the pleasure_ is all mine."


	8. Game of Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the one day late upload 😅

"I heard the Oracle chose you. You must be special. Ah I know! You must be gifted in the arts in the very least. Surely you can play the _Guqin_ for us?"

_(Note: Guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument)_

Saint shakes his head at an immortal's question. "No, I cannot. I was simply too busy to learn musical instruments. I am a decent singer but I don't know that much songs..."

"Oh come on now, we all want to hear you sing." The immortal looks around and sure enough, the gods and goddesses within earshot of them seem interested.

Saint glances at Perth, nervous at all the requests the immortal has for him. It has only been a few hours since they arrived but already, so many immortals have asked him questions. He knows they are only speaking out of curiosity but he can't help but feel inadequate. They all seem to expect him to be someone really, really special because from what he can gather, Perth has never been interested in another person before they met. But the more he answers the inquiries thrown his way, the more he falls short of those expectations. 

Normally, he wouldn't mind. He's used to scornful words and stares, disappointment is not something that can hurt him. But Perth's name is on the line. And Saint feels like he's embarrassing Perth by being so useless. He tries to rack his brain for a song he's good at that he can present to the immortals but before he can speak, Perth pulls him closer by the waist.

"You have plenty of servants to entertain you with songs if you so wish. My betrothed owes you nothing and shall not cater to your childish whims." Perth keeps his head high and his demeanor cold but his touch on Saint is gentle.

Saint must be imagining it but it is as though he can feel the warmth of Perth's hand reach his skin even through the layers of clothes he is wearing. It reassures him. Perth had kept his promise after all. He never left his side for long from the moment they arrived till now.

"Why, you insolent-!" The affronted immortal in front of them is clearly gearing for a fight though.

He is interrupted by a clapping sound. It is from Suada. 

She walks to them gracefully as she continues to clap, her scandalously thin robe offering glimpses of her gorgeous body as her hips sways. She stops right beside Perth and smiles at him. "As imposing as ever, Perth."

"This does not concern you, Suada," Perth says.

"You're handsome even when you're frowning," Suada responds flippantly. She then turns to the immortal who was talking to Saint a while ago. "And that's enough from you, don't you think?"

Saint can't see her face clearly because she is on the other side of Perth so he did not witness her use her power. With one look, she can make anyone lust after her and want to please her to earn her favor. It is similar to a love spell. The immortal who is only a lower level god has no chance against it and meekly follows Suada's 'request'.

Perth shakes his head at the display. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to. But darling, I _want_ to help you." Suada leans in, places her hand on Perth's chest and whispers at his ear. "And you know I must always act on my _wants_." She straightens up and walks away just as gracefully as she arrived.

Saint feels an ugly feeling at the pit of his stomach at Suada's display. She is a beautiful and enticing woman, anyone with eyes can see that. And she is clearly out to get Perth.

_Over my dead body!_

Saint can hardly believe his thoughts. He has never been this angry before. But it's not just anger. It's as if...

_Is this what it feels to be jealous?_

All along, Saint has been dismissing his emotions for Perth as something that happened out of necessity. He knew it was bound to happen. After all, Perth is handsome and kind and treats Saint as an equal. How could he not love him? It is a blessing to be chosen as spouse of someone as powerful and revered as Perth so he had never entertained the thought of rebelling against the first blossoms of admiration for the water god. But what he did not count on is how badly he does not want Perth to be taken away from him. There is a red-hot rage at his heart at the insinuation that the god would love someone else.

_Is it because I'll probably be sent back to Earth and punished if that happens?_

But no, that's not it. He's not scared of the punishments. He had been living a wretched life anyway. How much worse can it be?

_Is it because there would be no rain for the village?_

Of course he's concerned about that, too. But that still does not justify the pain in his heart, the yearning for Perth's arms around him and for his lips to touch his.

And that's the truth of the matter. He's scared to lose Perth, to lose his affections and to never see him smile at him again. He's anxious because he's in love and although Perth did say his heart beats for him, Saint is still terrified because he knows emotions can change.

In the Water Realm, he had fallen into a false sense of security just because Perth's attention was solely on him. He had forgotten that other people can see what he sees, and probably wants to be Perth's partner too. And now that he has a possible rival, a beautiful one at that, Saint does not know what to do.

"Saint?" Perth asks the human who is frozen in place. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Saint denies. "I just thought of something."

"Would you like to share your thoughts? I'll listen." Perth brushes Saint's hair and tucks it behind his ear.

Saint nearly melts. Perhaps he is being too paranoid. He does not really know how immortals act around each other. Perhaps, Suada is just being friendly. No need to sour their visit in this beautiful realm and their upcoming nuptial just because of a hunch. Resolve in place, Saint smiles at Perth and bravely holds his hand.

Perth is visibly surprised but then smiles back at Saint. They continue their tour around Aisha's realm, the water god like a sentinel by his betrothed's side whenever creatures would stop them and talk to them. Saint is particularly fond of the small fairies that came to play with him. They remind him of the water sprites back home.

_Home_.

For the second time that day, Saint is taken aback at the words his mind comes up with. He does not know when it happened but at this point, whenever he thinks of the word 'home', it is Perth's water realm that comes to mind. 

He glances at Perth in wonder at how important the god had become to him in such short amount of time. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Saint shrugs. "For everything."

Perth smiles and then noticing how fascinated Saint is with the fairies, decides to let Saint join them for a while. "I don't think anyone would bother you now. Is it okay if I leave you for a moment? I need to talk to Aisha. I promise it won't be long."

Saint nods. "It's alright. I am grateful you kept your promise to me Perth but you don't need to be stuck by my side literally the whole time we are here. You should also talk to the others."

"There's no one I'd rather stay with here than you," Perth says.

"Okay lovebirds, that is quite enough," Aisha, who was walking towards them, intervenes. "What your lovely betrothed means to say is that you're overprotective and you should let him breathe."

"That's not-" Saint protests immediately.

Aisha winks at him and mouths ' _trust me_ ' to him.

"You're the one who made me realize I was making him lonely," Perth scoffs.

Saint turns to Perth, confused. "Lonely? But you made me feel so cared for, what are you saying?"

"And that's thanks to me, yes," Aisha says smugly. "There is no way you with your brooding and pining can ever come to that conclusion that fast if I didn't tell you. But everything in moderation, Perth."

"Pining?" Saint couldn't help but ask. Perth was pining for him this whole time?

Incredibly, Perth's face flushes lightly. "Don't listen to the old lady."

Aisha rolls her eyes. "Oh he was pining for sure. _What if he doesn't like me, Aisha_?" She mimics Perth's voice in an exaggerated manner.

"I didn't say that," Perth hurriedly explains to Saint.

"Not in those exact words but the intention is the same." Aisha grins. "It's quite alright, Perth. Everyone knows you're smitten. It's a good look on you. Isn't that right, Saint?"

Cheeks matching the redness of Perth's face, Saint can only nod shyly.

Perth coughs to dispel the awkwardness. "Aisha, you were supposed to talk to me about something, right?"

"Goodness, I almost forgot. Yes. If you'll excuse us, Saint? I promise your water god will return to you in one piece."

Perth reaches for Saint's forehead and places a light kiss there. "I'll be back."

Aisha's smile remains even as they reach a quiet section of the Jade Pool realm. "You've really grown up."

"I am not your child," Perth says, petulant.

Aisha laughs. "Well, I suppose not. But you really have matured. Who would have thought you were the same god who played a trick on the humans out of boredom?"

Perth turns serious. "Speaking of that, was I correct to assume about the reason the humans think Saint is cursed?"

Ever since Perth met Saint, he had been wondering about that title that Saint carries. He does not like the way Saint is hurt by it. Clearly, the emotional scars he got from being known as the cursed child still linger on and affect him even to this day. So he asked help from Aisha to find out what exactly made the humans in his village believe that Saint is cursed.

Aisha nods, her expression solemn. "Saint was born the day you stopped the rains. His very existence is a reminder to the people of what they had lost."

"And his parents?"

"Died that day," Aisha answers.

There is a niggling suspicion at the back of Perth's mind. A thought that the tragedy of Saint's life isn't as simple as it seems. But it is the past and as he can do nothing to change it, he can only make sure Saint's life from now on would be as comfortable and happy as he could make it.

He says as much to Aisha when she asks if he intends to discuss the matter with Saint.

"There is no sense in reopening old wounds."

After that talk, Perth wants nothing more than to go back to Saint's side as soon as possible in order to soothe his unsettled heart. There really is no better cure to all negative emotions he is feeling than the smile of his betrothed.

On the way back to Saint, he turns a hallway and finds Suada waiting there for him. He attempts to just walk past her, well aware of where her power lies and what kind of goddess she is but Suada is having none of that avoidance.

She steps in front of him and blocks his way. "Are you avoiding me, Perth?"

"Depends," Perth answers.

"On?"

Perth meets her gaze head on. She cannot use her powers to enchant him because she is no match for his own powers. "Depends on if you're thinking of playing your games."

She tilts her head to the side, a picture of innocence. "Whatever do you mean? I don't understand."

"Oh of course you do. You are not the goddess of desire and seduction for nothing," Perth says plainly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have my betrothed waiting for me."

Instead of backing away, Suada steps forward. Perth didn't back away either and so they end up so close, their bodies are almost touching. "This is what makes you so attractive, Perth. You are not easily won. But no matter, you will soon be on my bed. After all, that little human of yours knows nothing about the pleasures of the flesh. I can teach him but first, I would have to know what our water god desires." Her voice lowers in tone, to a sultry croon, as she reaches to trail a finger on Perth's face.

Perth stops her by holding her wrist. "That's quite enough, Suada. I am not interested in your games. And do not disturb Saint, do not even go near him."

"Aww, how boring," she giggles.

His hold on her wrist tightens a fraction. It is a warning. "I'm serious, Suada. Touch him and I will find a way to destroy you."

She looks at his serious eyes - such alluring eyes blazing with supressed anger - then shrugs and steps away easily enough, breaking free from Perth's hold. "It was worth a shot."

Perth nods once in a respectful farewell and then walks away.

Left behind, Suada smirks. "What a delicious challenge wrapped up in a gorgeous package." 

At the corner of her eyes she sees movement from the trees. A person is hastily running away.

_Oh? How interesting._

She leans against a pillar and just watches, her smile getting even more sinister. If she is right in who that person was, then the game had just become even more fun.


	9. Nothing is Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry for the delay. Things have been difficult with real life. But here you go y’all. Hope you like this chapter. Let me know in the comments ☺️

Saint stops running to catch his breath. He can't believe what he just saw. Perth and Suada, so close to each other. They looked like they were about to kiss. Maybe they did and Saint was just not able to see it in time.

_No, there must be an explanation. There must be._

But what other explanation could there be? After Perth went with Aisha to talk about something, Saint happened to hear the other goddesses gossiping about Suada. Years of being verbally abused for his mere presence has taught Saint to be silent and to subconsciously fade into the background. Thus, the goddesses were not even aware he was a few steps away from them when they were talking.

_"You think Suada can snatch away Perth?"_

_"Most probably. I have never seen anyone - God or mortal - who resisted her charms."_

_"But Perth is about to get married to that human he brought with him, is he not?"_

_"Yes. But that has never stopped Suada before. This would not be the first time she would snatch away someone's lover."_

_"Oh, that poor boy."_

Saint takes a deep breath, trying to dispel the words from his memories. But his mind just cruelly conjure the image of Perth and Suada instead.

Perth had told him his heart beats for him but he did not promise him loyalty or ownership of his heart and body. There is nothing stopping the water god from having affairs at the side now and even after they get married.

_He couldn't even touch me without me trembling. What if I can't even serve him right on our wedding night?_

There are so many things lacking with him that cannot be fixed by him becoming an immortal. He'll still be the same scared and clueless person he had always been, only granted eternal life. The things he cannot provide for Perth, will he look for it elsewhere? And if Perth does, is Saint even allowed to say anything about it?

_What is expected of me?_

Suddenly, Saint isn't so sure anymore. He wishes he could ask someone. Of all the times he stayed in the water realm, he never really felt lonely. But now that there are many people he could talk to - people who would not turn him away immediately or say cruel words in front of him - he feels the most lonely. It is truly an irony how suddenly he misses his village. At least there, he knows what to expect.

Sometimes, the most cruel of all is giving him a taste of a happiness that won't even last.

Just like that, night falls in the Jade Pool realm. Most of the immortals retire to their rooms, to rest or continue the merriment in other ways. Saint is one of the few beings still out in the garden. There is a lot on his mind as he gazes at the star-filled sky and so he is unable to fully appreciate how lovely the night is.

From the outer hallway, Perth spots the lone human right away even though he is sitting on the porch with his back to him. He can always recognize Saint.

"I've been looking all over for you," Perth says and removes his own coat to lay it on Saint's shoulder. It can get a bit cold outside at night in this realm. There are no real seasons in the immortal realms but lately, Aisha likes to play on the weather in her realm. It is currently spring, apparently, and so the temperature at night drops.

"I'm sorry," Saint replies. "I got distracted."

"Never mind that. But what are you doing out here? Is something bothering you?"

Saint clutches Perth's coat tighter around himself. "Perth?"

"Hmm?" Perth asks.

_Am I enough for you?_ But instead of asking that, Saint falls silent.

"What is it?" Perth faces Saint. He could tell something is bothering him. But he is not about to force his betrothed to talk if he doesn't want to. So he waits.

Perth's patience is rewarded by Saint closing the gap between them and kissing him.

It is sweet and passionate, all the hidden fire in Saint's heart poured in that one kiss. That kiss is his desperate bid to capture Perth's attention.

_I don't want to share you._

_Be mine. Only mine._

_Please let me be enough._

Saint lowers his eyes, emotion still in a turmoil. He thought he could do this. He thought he can ask Perth what is going on between him and Suada. But he cannot. He is afraid of the answer.

"No." Perth gently tilts Saint's head towards him. "Do not hide from me."

Saint looks at Perth at his words and for the first time that night, appreciates the stars as they sparkle in the Water God's eyes. This is the being he is about to marry and spend eternity with. It's no wonder Suada wants him. Who wouldn't like him when Perth is this handsome and kind?

Perth smiles at Saint. "I'm glad I met you, Saint."

That's right. Perth chose him. He came back for him at their little village and chose to give his heart to him. Saint has to trust that in the end, that will be enough.

"I'm glad I met you too, Perth."

Hand in hand, they head to the rooms. They are interrupted at the hallway by Aisha.

"Sharing a room?" She asks.

Perth nods and tries to guide Saint pass the Goddess. "If you'll excuse us."

Aisha crosses her arms and blocks their path. "I think not."

"What is it now Aisha?" Perth sighs.

"You're about to get married and it isn't proper for you to share a room before then," Aisha explains, her eyebrow raised.

"You are well aware that we may have very well shared a room at my realm?" Perth retorts.

With a challenging smirk, Aisha asks, "Have you?"

Perth huffs. "That's not the point-"

"Perth, it's okay," Saint cuts the Water God off. A part of him is relieved that he won't be sharing a room with Perth just yet. "It'll only be a few days more, right?"

"Excellent." Aisha claps and ushers Saint away. "Come along, dear. I have the most wonderful room prepared for you."

Saint looks back at the flabbergasted Perth. "But Perth-"

"Knows his way," Aisha dismisses his worries. "And he better not be sneaking into your room if he knows what's good for him. I can be very petty indeed when I am annoyed."

Perth shakes his head. Aisha has strange tactics but he is sure he's only looking out for Saint. Somehow. She has never led him astray before. Besides, he owes her because he wouldn't have met Saint if not for her. "Let's meet tomorrow at the orchard. You need your rest, anyway. Good night, Saint." He smiles at his betrothed.

Saint smiles back. "Good night, Perth."

The next day, Saint is in an excellent mood upon waking up. True to her words, Aisha gave him such a beautiful room that rivals his room at the Water Realm. Of course he prefers his room back home but that's just because he associates all good things with Perth's domain.

And there is that word again. Home. He is not as taken aback at the thought this time. Instead, there is a warmth in his heart and a longing to be back there with Perth and all the water sprites. He wonders how they are, if they are as lively as ever. He hopes they are.

Saint smiles as he walks from the bedroom to the adjouring receiving room, his thoughts on Perth who is probably waiting for him at the orchard already.

_I should get ready, I don't want him to wait for long._

Unfortunately, Saint's good mood doesn't last because he finds Suada waiting for him at the receiving room. Apparently, she had decided to invite herself in.

"Did you enjoy your first night here? This must be a far cry to what you're used to." She appears friendly but for some reason, she seems so cold.

Saint has not noticed when they first met but Suada's eyes are cold and calculating. They are so different from Perth's eyes which are always warm and gentle. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Suada smiles as she sits down on the sofa, making even that simple movement seem sensual and fluid. "You should be asking what _I_ can help you with. You see, I can tell with one glance that you have no experience whatsoever in pleasing a lover, much less a God with so much vigor like Perth."

Saint hates hearing the Water God's name from her scandalous lips. She knows Perth is his betrothed and yet she comes barging in their relationship much like she barged in the room now. It's the first time he has ever resented a person this much. But he must be patient and polite. It would do no good to fight with a goddess. "A God such as Perth deserves someone pure."

Suada laughs at that. "Trust a human to say that. Such foolish children. Being pure has no value here. You will only be seen as lacking."

That strikes a chord. After all, it was only last night that Saint was thinking that.

Suada, ever observant, sees it too. She sees how her words affect Saint and knows now that that is his weakness, a weakness she can use to her advantage. "Oh poor child, you've already tried have you not? It must have not worked out."

Saint knows her sympathy is fake. But it still reminds him of that failure of a night when he offered himself to Perth and was rejected.

"No wonder he turns to me. Perth is worried, you see. He's worried you won't be able to handle him. You are only human, after all," Suada continues.

"At our wedding I'll be immortal!" Saint snaps, unable to bear it any longer.

"True. But you've lived your whole life as a human, do you really think you can change just because you've been given additional lives?"

Again, the same worries he had. "Perth will marry me."

"For sure. A God's promise to a human is absolute so there's no stopping your wedding. But I have no interest on those kind of things. Perth does not either. Aisha had to force him to take a bride so the silly God actually let his golden orb choose because he couldn't be bothered to choose for himself."

"What?" Saint is confused. He and Perth never really talked in detail about why is it that it was the Oracle was the one who chose Perth's bride. All Perth said is that he trusts the Oracle so Saint thought that it meant in a way, Perth chose him too. But what if he's wrong?

Suada leans forward, her eyes seeking Saint's reaction. She's like a predator, smelling blood even before seeing the wound. "Oh my, you don't even know, do you?" She covers her mouth with her hand. "I shouldn't tell you this."

"No, tell me. What do you mean he couldn't be bothered to choose for himself?"

"Perth did not want to get married. He let the golden orb choose because he doesn't care who he'll end up with. All of the immortals know this. Perth can keep his bride in his realm, occupied with all the fascinating things to see. But at night..." She trails off. Then she stands up. "Well, the day is dragging on. I must be going now."

Saint grabs her arm to stop her from leaving. "What should I do?"

Suada smirks secretly before maintaining a serious expression as she turns to face the bewildered human. "I told you. You need my help. I can teach you so he won't ever want to leave your bed."

"And what do you want in exchange?"

The human is smart, Suada will give him that. He at least knows nothing is free, even for an immortal. "Your wedding night."

Saint frowns. "I don't understand."

"Give me Perth on your wedding night," Suada clarifies.

Saint shakes his head. "No, I can't possibly-"

"Think about it. One night versus the rest of your lives together. You should know by now that I'm the Goddess of Seduction. You won't find anyone else aside from me who can teach you about what you need to know." She holds out her hand to Saint, palm up. "Do we have a deal?"

"I..." Saint reaches out his hand but then hesitates. No matter how much he wants to learn how to pleasure Perth, this does not seem right. "I'll think about it."

Suada shrugs, seemingly unaffected. "Very well. I'll give you time to think. But not for too long. Give me an answer before the sun sets." She leaves just as disarmingly as she arrived.

Saint sits at the sofa Suada vacated, his head in his hands.

_What am I supposed to do?_


	10. Sacred and Unbreakable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Sunday (my time, PHT) upload ☺️

"Good morning, Saint," Perth greets his betrothed as he steps closer to him at the orchard.

It is still early in the morning and the rays of soft light frames Saint just so. To Perth, he's just as beautiful under the twinkling stars of last night as he is now out under the sun. The Water God is beginning to believe 'beautiful' is just Saint's default look.

"Good morning, Perth," Saint returns the greeting but he is visibly troubled.

Perth of course notices at once. "What's bothering you? Did you not sleep well?" He frowns, already thinking of talking to Aisha. Perhaps he really should have not left Saint alone last night.

"No, no, it's not that. I just had a bad dream. I'll be fine," Saint replies.

Perth nods, although he's still unconvinced. "Very well. Would you like to walk with me? There's a reason Aisha is very proud of this place. It is quite beautiful."

_Perhaps a walk will ease his mind._

It is not in Perth's nature to push for anything the other person is not ready for. If Saint is ready to talk, he will listen. Until then, he is content to walk side by side with him.

Saint glances at Perth as they walk. He wants to talk to him but what Suada said is still weighing heavily on his mind. He is afraid that he will accidentally mention about the deal. So he remains quiet although he has so many things he wants to say to Perth.

He wants to tell him about the beautiful room Aisha gave him, how Aisha somehow knew that Saint wants to be near water and so the room she gave him has an excellent view of the natural spring just outside his window. He wants to ask Perth if he would like to join him there after their wedding.

But then he remembers that if he agrees to Suada's deal, he might not be the one to spend that night with Perth.

_"One night versus the rest of your lives together."_

It's just one night but is it really worth it? He does want to please Perth because he cares for him so much. However, he is running out of time and of options.

Saint wishes he has someone to talk to. There are moments like this when he really wishes his parents are still alive. Perhaps they can give him guidance. Sometimes, when life gets a bit too overwhelming, Saint likes to imagine what his parents would say, what they would do. He wishes he could at least remember what they looked like. His parents were not well-off so they had no portraits like the richer townspeople. All he knows are the descriptions he heard before from gossips of neighbors. They would speak of how he looks remarkably like his mother but has his father's eyes. But try as he might he could never quite picture them in his mind, even as imaginations.

Much of the morning was lost with Perth and Saint roaming the orchard and Aisha's other gardens. Soon, the place is filled with activity once again as Aisha's fairies began to work on the orchard and the other immortals woke up to continue to feast or find other entertainment. There is no shortage of either food or games during the peaches of immortality banquet.

It is also an opportunity for Perth to show Saint some of the unique abilities of the immortals. Just in time for their arrival at the main hall, an immortal is showing off how she can manipulate fire into several forms and shapes and make them explode into tiny dancing embers up in the sky.

Saint's eyes are wide in fascination. He has never seen such beautiful display before. "How marvelous!"

Perth smiles, glad that Saint is enjoying himself. "Every banquet, the display gets more grand. I reckon some of the immortals are only here to brag about their abilities."

Aisha, having heard Perth, snickers. "While some refuses to do so. Will the Water God care to grace us with a show of his powers?"

Perth shakes his head. "No," he responds simply.

Aisha huffs. "Not even for your betrothed?"

When Perth turns to Saint, there is curiosity in those eyes. He smiles fondly at him. "Would you really like to see my powers?"

Beside him, Aisha laughs at how quickly Perth contradicts himself for Saint. "How fast you change your mind."

Ignoring the goddess, Perth asks Saint once again. "Saint?"

"If you're willing," Saint replies, excitement barely concealed. Perth is not a boastful God and that is perfectly fine to Saint but he does tend to wonder about the extent of what the Water God can do since Aisha, and almost all of the immortals they meet, always seem to be in awe of him.

Perth looks around, wondering what to show Saint. His powers aren't exactly built for entertainment. Just then, he sees the small fairies flitting around the area and remembers how Saint is equal parts fond and curious of the water sprites back in the water realm. "Would you like to see how I make the sprites?"

Saint's eyes widen. "You can show me that?"

Perth shrugs. "It is not that big of a deal." He waves his hand and the dew collected on top of the leaves around them flows in the air and onto Perth's hand, joining together and within seconds form a tiny water sprite, only a few inches tall, curled on its master's hand as if in deep slumber.

"Is she alive?" Saint asks in awe, bending down a little to see the water sprite better.

Perth smiles and then says to the sprite. "Rise and shine. Your master awaits."

The sprite stretches and then flutters its little wings. It chitters in greeting to Saint.

"She says hello," Perth explains.

"Oh Perth, she's so precious!" Saint says. "I wish I can understand her. Can she understand me?"

"Yes, she can understand you. As for their language, you can understand it when you get powers of your own." Perth carefully nudges the sprite to go to Saint. She follows easily enough, also wanting to be near who she perceives as her master.

"I'll have powers?" Saint asks, distracted by the fascinating water sprite settling on his hand.

It is Aisha who answers. "Of course you'll get powers. Every immortal has one."

Both Perth and Saint turn to Aisha. It is clear in their faces that they have forgotten that there is anyone else aside from them and the little sprite. In fact, it is not just Aisha looking at them, but the other immortals - or the ones who stayed despite the fact that they were expecting something more than just a tiny water sprite when Perth said he'll demonstrate his powers. The others got bored and already left.

Among those who remained, one Goddess is looking at the pair of God and human intently. It is Suada. It is quite interesting how Perth cannot be swayed away from Saint and how he caters to his every wish. But it doesn't matter. She knows how predictable humans are. Smirking, she leaves the scene, her long hair fluttering with the wind.

At the corner of his eyes, Saint sees her. The deadline she set is coming to a close. It is already noon and soon, he would have to tell her his choice.

"Saint? Is there something wrong, dear?"

The human shakes his head at Aisha's question and decides to change the subject. "I was just thinking for a name for this water sprite."

"There's no need to name them-" Perth starts but Aisha shushes him.

"Hush, you. Names are important. Let Saint choose," she reprimands. "He already named the other sprites in your realm after all."

Perth raises an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Saint told me about it last night," Aisha responds.

Perth is about to protest the fact that she chatted with Saint when she forbid him from being in the same room as his betrothed but she already raised a hand to his face to stop him.

"Whatever your complains, I will hear none of it. Now, quiet down because I want to know what name Saint chose."

Saint smiles at their banter and says, "Wave. I want to name her Wave. Perth taught me all the names of the waters, everything I didn't know before. I think Wave is an auspicious name. She's tiny now but I believe she can do something mighty later on, like a big wave no one is expecting."

"That's a good name, Saint," Aisha praises.

Saint beams, happy that she approves but he still wants to hear from Perth of course. "Perth? What do you think?"

Perth smiles. "I think it's perfect."

To the water sprite, Saint says, "Nice to meet you, Wave."

Wave flies against Saint's cheek and gives him a kiss in gratitude. Saint giggles.

But of course, as it so happens when you are having fun, the time flies by. Soon, the sun starts to go lower in the horizon and the moment of truth arrives.

The different colors on the sky painted by the setting sun would look magnificent in a different context. But at this moment, with Saint facing Suada, he cannot appreciate the sunset's beauty.

"Have you made your decision?" Suada nonchalantly plays with a strand of her hair. She is relaxed, unbothered. She already knows the end to this tale she weaved from the moment she uttered about this deal.

"Yes, I have," Saint replies.

"And?" Suada prompts.

Saint takes a deep breath. "I agree to your terms."

_As expected._ Just as Suada thought, humans are so predictable. Everyone thought this one would be different but it seems like he's just like any other human off the street.

_How boring._

No matter. At least she doesn't have to exert much effort to get what she wants. She offers her palm to Saint. "I, Suada, the goddess of seduction, shall teach you, the human Saint, the art of seduction so you may better serve your husband. In exchange, you shall give me your wedding night. I shall be with your husband first and you shall have no objections. Do you agree?"

Saint hesitates with his hand above Suada's palm. Then he takes another deep breath and touches his hand with hers. "I agree."

A golden spark emerged from between their hands. A heavenly deal has been made. Sacred and unbreakable.

Suada finally grins. Two nights from now, Perth shall be hers and it will forever grant her favors with everyone as the one who tamed the great water God. Truth be told, she wants Perth not just because of his good looks - although that certainly is a major factor - but because her reputation as a seductress will greatly benefit from sleeping with such an unattainable God. Everyone will think there is no one she cannot have.

"Oh you naive and stupid human. You don't know what you just agreed to," she says as she watches Saint walk away.

Triumphant, Suada departs as well. She has a lot to prepare. She needs to be in her most desirable state by that night. Her joyful whistles fill the path she walks on.

The days past quickly and soon, the culmination of the banquet, the reason everyone is gathered except for the peaches of immortality, arrives. It is the day of the wedding of the Water God to his chosen partner, Saint.

Everyone is in their best clothes, gathered under the oldest peach tree. Around the area are many fragrant flowers and other decors. There is water under their feet, cool and refreshing but never disturbing their clothes.

In the middle of the crowd are Perth and Saint, each holding a peach of immortality. Throughout the last few days, Saint was not allowed to partake in eating the peaches like the other immortals. Now he will have his first taste of it in the presence of everyone and most importantly, in the presence of his soon to be husband.

For the wedding ceremony, Perth has changed into red silk robes lined with white and black waves at the hem. His hair is pinned by a golden sea dragon headpiece. Now, more than ever, Saint cannot bellieve he is blessed to be married to this god. The cursed child, having this much blessing. Who would have thought.

Perth takes Saint's hand and says his vow. "Before these witnesses, I, the Water God Perth, pledge to share my life with you, to honor and care for you, to cherish and encourage your own fulfillment as an individual through all the changes we may encounter. I promise to be yours just as much as you are mine." He then bites the peach, more of a symbol than anything.

In similar fashion to Perth, Saint is dressed in red as well. Aisha has helped him arrange his hair and ligned his eyes a little with kohl and his lips stained with red. He is nervous but maintains his calm as he says his vows. "I, Saint, offer myself to you my husband, my Water God, with all of my faults and my strength, to be your lover, companion and friend, to be yours in every sense of the word, for as long as we both shall live and beyond."

Perth smiles at Saint, his eyes full of warmth and affection for his now husband as the latter bites on the peach.

Saint isn't sure what he's expecting but for the first few seconds of eating the peach of immortality, nothing happened. The peach is sweet of course and more delicious than any fruit he has ever tasted but he feels the same. Somehow, he thought it would be different once he becomes immortal.

The confusion must be obvious in his face because Perth gently caressed his hand. "Give it time."

Sure enough, Perth has just finished uttering those words when Saint feels something like a power surge flow through his body. He staggers, overwhelmed by the sensation. Perth is there to catch him.

Eyes wide, Saint looks at Perth. "Was that...?"

Perth nods, still smiling fondly. He tucks a stray strand of Saint's hair behind his ear.

Around them, cheers and words of congratulations erupted. The immortals are in a festive mood once again. A wedding is a rare event in the heavens and so it makes everyone happy once one does happen.

Of all the well-wishers though, there is one that is happy for a different reason. Suada, scandalously dressed as usual, smirks as she sashays to the newly-weds. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Perth responds. He has his hand on the small of Saint's back securely.

"I'll be seeing you around, Saint," Suada says.

Saint nods stiffly and doesn't say anything else even as Suada leaves. When she's out of sight, he breathes a sigh of relief.

Perth notices but doesn't comment, choosing instead to rub Saint's back in a comforting gesture. "Come on, let us join the others. That peach is hardly enough to make you full."

They head to where a great spread of food and drinks is waiting for them and sits down beside the other immortals. Unlike the past few days, now Saint is treated as an equal. It is a good day.

Night soon falls in the Jade Pool Realm. Perth walks the hallway alone. He's had a few bottles of ale but nothing a god can't handle. He turns a corner and at the end of the passage is his and Saint's chamber. He knows there's a natural hot spring at the back of the room, a private place to enjoy his first night being married.

He slides open the wooden door and steps inside the room. He hears the gently splash of water at the spring and walks around the wooden divider and steps outside. The warm temperature creates mist around the immortal seated at the edge of the spring.

Perth leans against the doorway with his arms crossed. "You shouldn't have come."

From her place on the edge of the spring, Suada looks over her shoulder at Perth. The only cover to her modesty is a red cloth that is falling dangerously off her back. "My Water God, you must be tired, let me help you relax." She loosely gathers her garment around her and steps closer to Perth. She places her hand on the front of his robe, intending to undress him.

Perth stops her hand. "You shouldn't have come," he repeats. "Then you wouldn't need to be humiliated."

Suada smiles despite getting a tad annoyed. "Oh but I have every right to be here. You see, your sweet bride? He made a deal with me using you. And I intend to collect."

She expects Perth to be angry, to be frustrated, or even to feel betrayed. But that is not what happens.

With cool indifference, Perth says, "Oh I know. I told him to make that deal."

Suada is taken aback. "What? But I thought you cherish him?"

"I do. With everything that I am. Which is why I will not allow the likes of you to torment his feelings ever again." Perth's face is stern. He looks behind him and calls out, "Saint? Come here, my love."

Saint steps into view. He takes Perth's offered hand. "It's over Suada."

"No! This can't be! You made a deal. It cannot be broken!"

"The thing with deals, Suada," Perth says, "-is it is all in how you phrase it. It must be followed exactly according to the words you used. If not, then the deal has no effect."

"What?" There is dawning horror in Suada's face. She recalls her words, the deal she made. Somehow, Saint found the loophole.

Perth just smirks. He has no sympathy whatsoever for the person who made Saint feel terrible and inadequate. "As I said, you shouldn't have come here to be humiliated."

Suada screams and turns into her other form, a 20 feet long cobra, coiled but ready to strike.


	11. Quench the Thirst

At this point, everyone must be wondering how is it that Saint was able to break the deal he made with Suada. The answer, as Perth has mentioned, has to do with the exact words Suada used.

_"I, Suada, the goddess of seduction, shall teach you, the human Saint, the art of seduction so you may better serve your husband."_

She made the mistake of referring to Saint as 'human' and therefore, the moment Saint became immortal, the deal became void. It is a simple trickery that Saint didn't even think possible if not for Perth teaching him beforehand of the power of words when it comes to deals made with gods.

Before Saint met up with Suada to make the deal, he had already gone and confessed to Perth. He felt so terrible about avoiding Perth's questions, especially since the water god had been so patient with him and so he sought out his presence.

_"Perth?"_

_The water god turns around and sees his betrothed, with Wave flying close to her master's face. "Yes?"_

_Saint bites his lips and looks down, torn till now whether it is the right decision to tell Perth of his foolishness. "I'm sorry."_

_"For what?"_

_Saint's gaze remains rooted to the ground. "I...I might have done something foolish."_

And so Saint confessed. Everything from when he saw Suada and Perth talking to Suada offering him a deal.

_"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be suspicious of you. This isn't how I should be behaving," Saint says when Perth remains silent after he finished relaying what happened._

_"I'm disappointed."_

_Saint flinches. "I'm sorry-"_

_"Not in you," Perth cuts off. "I'm disappointed in myself. I should have realized Suada won't back off that easy the first time she tried to flirt with me."_

_Just remembering Suada leaning close to Perth upsets Saint."Because she likes you."_

_Perth lifts Saint's chin so they are eye to eye once more. "No. She likes the status of being with me. Suada doesn't care about anything but herself. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered me. I'm used to narcissistic immortals." He frowns. "But she shouldn't have gone after you."_

_"It's alright. I'll just tell her no then. I won't make a deal with her."_

_"No, do it."_

_Saint looks at Perth in surprise. "But I thought-"_

_"Suada crossed a line that she shouldn't have. She's gonna pay for that. And we'll do that with the same trickery that she tried to do to you."_

_Saint furrows his brows, still confused. "But I don't want to give you to her."_

_Perth smiles and cups Saint's face fondly. "You won't lose me. You are the only one who'll get to be with me - on our wedding night and all the days after it."_

_Saint melts. It really was ridiculous to doubt Perth's loyalty and affection to him. He had been so blinded by his insecurities he didm't see how clearly Perth was showing him how much he cares. "Okay," he agrees easily but then wonders, "How are we going to do that though?"_

_"Remember how I told you there is power in words? We'll use that to our advantage."_

_"How so?"_

_"Immortals use specific words to strike a deal with someone. You need to pay attention to what words she'll use to refer to you. Because if you're not the human she makes a deal with then the deal is rendered useless," Perth explains._

_Saint processes that in his brain. His eyes widens once he realizes the plan. "I'm not gonna be a human after our wedding."_

_Perth smiles. He's so proud of how quick Saint is adapting to this world. "I knew you were smart."_

_Saint huffs. "That's not true. Aisha said you thought I looked dumb that night at the town festival."_

_"What?! Those are not my exact words!" Perth panics, remembering that yes, he didn't think much of Saint then but that's just because he has low opinions of humans in general. "Aisha, that tattletale!" He whispers._

_Saint giggles at the look on Perth's face._

_Perth relaxes and joins in the laughter. "You're teasing me, aren't you? You dare tease your husband!" He comically wiggles his fingers and motions to catch Saint._

_Saint moves away, still giggling. "Not yet. You're not my husband yet."_

_"Oh is that so?" Perth moves after Saint._

_Saint laughs harder and runs, Perth chasing after him. Seeing his master happy, Wave joins in the fun, working her tiny wings so she could follow the two._

_It's a lovely sight and it pleases Aisha, who of course sees everything in her domain. She knew about Suada's tricks but it is difficult to intervene because the goddess of seduction hasn't technically harmed anyone or broken any rules._

_Besides, she has faith that the two boys will figure it out by themselves. As they had._

That is how the deal was made and that is why it was broken.

Now, just as Perth predicted, Suada stands before them, flabbergasted at the turn of events.

Perth just smirks. He has no sympathy whatsoever for the person who made Saint feel terrible and inadequate. "As I said, you shouldn't have come here to be humiliated."

Suada screams and turns into her other form, a 20 feet long cobra, coiled but ready to strike. The width of her body is like a sturdy tree trunk, enough to fit two grown men.  
  


Strike, Suada does. She goes for Perth's throat with her venomous fangs but the water god is quicker and avoids her. She follows and nearly grazes his arm.

Suada is a strong goddess but she is no match for Perth if the water god would seriously fight her. But he has no interest in an actual fight. He is simply toying with her and she knows it. Enraged at the mockery, she changes her target to Saint.

Perth sees her attack and so he frantically tries to warn Saint, only to get surprised when he turns to Saint and Saint does not look even a tiny bit frightened. Instead, there is anger in the depths of his obsidian eyes.

Saint is angry because he is protective of Perth just as much as Perth is protective of him. On top of ruining his wedding night, Suada dares to _hurt_ Perth, the only man Saint cares about.

He has had enough.

Unknown to Saint, his eyes are glowing an unnatural blue. Perth is taken aback but then smiles. His spouse has found his power.

"You will not hurt my family ever again!" Saint shouts.

If asked, Saint will not be able to explain how he did what he did next. One moment his emotion is boiling over and then all of a sudden he is able to gather the hot spring water to him, the most scalding part of the water forming above them but not hurting Saint in the slightest. Then the water beside him turns into ice shards, the ends forming into sharp tips.

Perth leans back, impressed.

Saint let the ice shards fly to the terrifying cobra who tries to swat the ice away but only bleeds from the blade-like ice. Interestingly enough, she also gets scalded.

_He can control the temperature of the water_ , Perth observes, surprised. Saint might prove to be a powerful immortal.

Before Suada can fight back, a golden net drops from above her, weighing her down until she transforms back into her immortal form, the cuts and burns carrying over to her current form.

"Why?!" She snarls in anger, her sight fixed beyond Perth and Saint to the goddess standing behind them - Aisha.

"You have attacked someone in my realm, my sacred home, and you shall be banished for it. You will never be allowed back into Jade Pool ever again," Aisha declares.

"He is the one who hurt me!" She points a finger to Saint.

Aisha shakes her head. "We all know you started this, Suada. Do you take me for a fool?"

Suada is led away, to be banished out of Jade Pool forever. Before she is out of sight, however, she glares at Perth and says, "You should have chosen me when I was asking nicely. You _will_ regret this."

Perth shrugs off her warning. He is not scared of her.

With Suada safely away, Saint slumps against Perth. He is angry with her but he is not such an evil person that he will rejoice in her defeated form. "Did I hurt her too much?"

"Not nearly enough," Aisha scoffs.

"Should the goddess of life really be saying that?" Perth says, mildly.

"It's not as if I told you to kill her. Silly child." Aisha pats Perth's shoulder. Her eyes drift to the ruined garden and porch. "Oh, this won't do." With a simple touch, the place is restored to its former beauty. It's like nothing happened there. "Much better."

Perth holds Saint's hand to comfort him before addressing Aisha. "Thank you, Aisha. We'd like to rest now, if that's alright with you."

"Oh of course. It is still your wedding night, I'm sure you'd like to be alone. Good night dears, I won't disturb you anymore."

She quietly leaves. Saint, meanwhile, has now realized with Aisha's words that indeed, certain things are expected to happen tonight.

_And Suada never taught me anything!_

Blushing, Saint glanced at Perth, who is absentmindedly rubbing Saint's back. There is nothing sexual about it, especially since they are both still fully clothed but for some reason, Saint's cheeks becomes more red.

"Let's go to sleep, then," Perth says and leads Saint to the bed.

Saint swallows. _This is it. What am I supposed to do?_

His nervousness stays even as he lies down the bed and Perth sits down beside him.

"Good night, Saint." Perth kisses Saint's cheek, embraces him, and then closes his eyes.

And does nothing more.

Confused, Saint turns to face the water god. From this close, he can see every detail of his face - from his beautiful long eyelashes that any maiden would envy, to his sharp nose, to his lips...

"I can feel you staring," Perth says, amused, his eyes still closed.

Saint startles but doesn't move away. "Are you really just going to sleep?"

Perth slowly opens his eyes. "Do you want me to do something else?"

"I...I would like to consummate our marriage."

Perth stares back at Saint. "There's plenty of time for that. We don't have to do it now."

"Yes, but I..." Frustrated at how he can't seem to explain his feelings in words, Saint leans in and kisses Perth.

The water god appears to be surprised for a moment but then he returns the kiss. He moves so he is on top of Saint, their bodies pressed together.

From this position, Saint can feel the lines of Perth's body as well as the growing bulge meeting his own. He looks straight into Perth's eyes, willing him to understand the things he cannot say out loud, all his desires...

And Perth does understand. There is fondness mixed with the fire in his eyes. He has been content to just sleep beside Saint and not do anything else but to know that Saint desires him this way - not out of obligation but because he truly wants him - is such a precious gift.

Perth trails kisses from Saint's mouth to his fair swan-like neck. The possessive side of Perth makes him want to leave his mark on Saint and so he lavished attention on the skin just below Saint's jaw - high enough that he cannot hide it with his robe collar. He nipped and sucked the skin there, delighting in the obvious red blemish on Saint's otherwise flawless neck.

All the while, Saint moans, gripping Perth's robe and pulling it off of the water god. He thought he would be lost in what to do when this night comes. He had worried and been anxious. But when it comes down to it, this is instinctual. The want, no, the need, to know Perth's body, to feel his skin against his, and the aching emptiness inside of him just begging to be filled with Perth's presence, need no explanation.

Saint's red robe is in disarray, exposing his chest to Perth's eyes. To Saint's mortification, his body responds immediately. His eyes widens but Perth merely smiles at him.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Perth asks, his voice gentle.

Saint knows Perth will not continue if he says no. But he wants to continue. And so he says, "Yes, I'm ready."

Perth proceeds to gently pull away Saint's hands from robe and gives each of his wrists a kiss before raising them above Saint's head. He then parts Saint's robe to reveal his smooth chest and dusky pink nipples once again. With a mischievous grin, he dips his head and closes his mouth over the small nub, rolling it with his tongue.

Saint nearly bolts upright if not for Perth's hand keeping him still. Perth lets his hand go at that slight resistance and so Saint is free to hold on to Perth's shoulders instead.

"Too much?" Perth asks.

Saint shakes his head. "No. I was just surprised." But he is blushing.

Perth notes that the blush reaches all the way down his chest. _Beautiful_.

Perth sits up to undo Saint's loincloth and finds the dampness gathering at the tip of the immortal's rod. He spreads that wetness all over the length of it. He then trails his finger to the puckered opening, slowly pushing his thumb inside. Once Saint's body accepts the intrusion, Perth pulls back his thumb and inserts his index finger and middle finger in, making sure to be aware of Saint's reaction.

Saint turns his head to the side, panting and moaning. "P-perth..."

"Are you okay, love?"

"C-can you not look? It's embarrassing."

Perth kisses Saint's lips once more. "Nothing to be embarrassed about." He crooks his finger and brushes against a bundle of nerves that made Saint keen loudly.

Perth freezes. "Did I hurt you?"

Saint shakes his head. "No. It feels so good," he admits and then moans when Perth resumes moving his fingers inside him.

Perth looks around the room and sure enough, there is a pot of warmed oil by the bed. Aisha's work, most probably. This is one of the few times Perth appreciates how nosy she is. He slides off his robe completely off his body and undoes his own loincloth.

Saint eyes Perth's revealed shaft with equal parts excitement and nervousness.

_It's so big. Will that fit inside me?_ Saint thinks.

As if hearing his thoughts, Perth places an apologetic kiss on Saint's lips. "This might hurt. If it's too much, tell me and I'll stop."

Saint nods, placated.

Perth reaches for the pot and tests the temperature before pouring some oil on his hand. He circles Saint's entrance with the same oil, gliding his fingers in and out in a mimicry of what he will be doing later. He takes himself in hand, spreading the oil on his own shaft and then maintaining eyecontact with Saint, he slides his fingers out and eases his rod in, stretching him open much more than his fingers could.

Saint has never had such conflicting sensations before. There is a little bit of pain as Perth's girth fills him but there is also definitely pleasure unlike anything he's experienced before. Coupled with Perth's smoldering look of love and devotion as he takes him, it is the most exquisite feeling. Saint feels powerful and desirable.

Perth thrusts deeper inside Saint, the tight heat nearly enough to make him lose his mind. "You're so good for me."

"More," Saint blurts out. "I need more, Perth." He clings to his husband, wrapping his hands around his upper arms and locking his legs around Perth's hips with complete abandon.

Perth obliges the request, giving him his entire length in powerful thrusts. He reaches between them and pleasures Saint's front too, stroking his hand up and down the immortal's shaft.

"Perth!" Saint cries out, not even sure anymore for what. All he knows is he is hurtling towards something...something that is getting closer and closer the more Perth thrusts inside him. He subconsciously tightens around Perth.

The water god groans and quickens his pace, slamming inside Saint with each powerful thrust, owning his husband without words.

Saint welcomes each thrust, each pleasing stroke of his sensitive places. His breathing becomes unstable. Perth is so deep inside him, he has to pant for breath. Release is imminent.

Tossing back his head, Perth's eyes grows wild. Saint can see just how powerful the god he married is. He can see his strength, his power, all laid down. And it mesmerizes Saint.

He cannot dwell on it, however, because Perth's movements become more insistent, his thrusts more erratic and frantic, the muscles on his neck giving away his exertion, and his lips parting on a whisper of Saint's name.

Saint hurtles into his climax, his center tightening around Perth. "Yes! Perth!"

Perth grips Saint's hips, kisses his lips, and spills inside him. Saint's cries of pleasure are devoured by Perth's mouth.

Back on earth, thunder is heard after a long long time. The people look out their windows and to the sky in wonder, the younger kids are scared of the unfamiliar rumbling noise but the elders look on with hopeful anticipation. Sure enough, it is not long before rain falls down the parched earth, soaking everything in its path, quenching the thirst of the land.

At the room in Jade Pool, Perth nods contentedly with his arms securely around his spouse. He has fulfilled his promise.

Saint sees Perth's movement and tilts his head in question. "What is it?"

Perth conjures water and then forms it into a huge canvass in front of them. The reflection turns to a visual of what is happening in Saint's village.

"You made it rain!" Saint exclaims, overjoyed.

"Yes," Perth says simply and tucks a stray hair behind Saint's ear.

"Wait." Saint pauses. "You made it rain after..." He blushes. "Is this going to be a recurring thing?"

"That would drown the whole village."

Saint's face heats up more at the implications of those words. It is as if Perth is implying they would be having a lot more of nights like this - so much more if it is to drown the village. Shy, Saint hides under the covers.

Perth laughs and kisses the top of Saint's head, the only part of him he can reach now that Saint has completely hidden his face. "How precious."

Saint eventually peeks out from under the covers. "Perth, do you think I could possibly visit the village?"

"Do you want to confirm the rain?"

Saint shakes his head. "I know you wouldn't lie to me about that. I know it's real. It's not about the rain," he reassures Perth. "I just wanted to check on Tasanee and my Aunt and Uncle."

"They weren't nice to you, why would you want to see them?" If it was up to Perth, Saint would be far from those cruel and insensitive people forever.

But Saint's heart is pure and kind. That has not changed. And so he replies, "They're still the only family I had. And in a way, I still owe them gratitude."

Perth sighs. "Alright. If that's what you want. When do you want to go?"

"Not right away. I want to spend time with my husband first," Saint says honestly.

Perth smiles and gathers Saint into an embrace. "As do I."

And so their first night as newlyweds ends like that. In the morning, the guests begin leaving one by one. The festivities are over and there is nothing worst that a guest who had overstayed his welcome.

Perth and Saint also prepares to leave, picking up poor Wave who had been so terrified of Suada and so had stayed cooped up with Aisha the whole night through.

Saint secretly thinks it is just as well that the sprite had not gone to their room. He sees her as a little baby and she shouldn't witness what exactly transpired between her masters.

"You'll like it in the water realm. You'll have fun with all your sisters and brothers there," Saint tells Wave. To his surprise, he can understand her answer. His eyes widens. He hurriedly calls Perth's attention. "I can understand her!"

Perth, who was talking to Aisha, grins at Saint. "Part of being immortal."

Saint goes back to chatting with Wave, excited about this new acquired skill.

"He's adjusting very well," Aisha says to Perth about Saint.

Perth nods, a proud smile on his face. "And his power is extraordinary. He got it sooner than I expected too."

"Will you be teaching him how to use his powers?" Aisha asks.

"As much as I can," Perth says. "He's a natural so I don't think it would be difficult for him to master his powers."

"Hmm, then what is bothering you?" As usual, Aisha can see right through Perth.

"I don't know. I am happy, very much so. But I'm anxious about our future."

Aisha stares at the god. Thousand years old and yet still like a young boy. "You're not going to lose him, Perth."

The same worries that Saint had.

_What a pair,_ Aisha thinks.

"Sometimes I wonder if it is safer for him back on his village."

"Look at him." Aisha tilts her head towards Saint and Wave a few steps away from them. The new immortal is still deep in conversation with the sprite. "Really look at him. He is strong. Hasn't he proven that much last night? He faced a fearsome goddess on a rampage and didn't let himself be intimidated. He is strong enough to keep himself safe. I reckon he can even keep _you_ safe."

Perth smiles. "You're right." He should trust Saint more. He doesn't need protecting. He needs someone by his side to support him as he blooms. And Perth is determined to be that person for Saint.

"As always," Aisha teases. She watches as they leave - two immortals just radiating happiness and love. It is good and peaceful.

For now.

No one could have guessed that a mysterious creature kept quiet for a thousand years would soon wreck havoc to the heavenly realms - a threat not only to the safety of the immortals but also to the relationship that Saint had just built.

Somewhere in the water, a dark shadow moves. And then disappears with the sound of a sinister laugh.


	12. Divine Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I’m super late and it isn’t even Sunday either but holidays have been really hectic for several reasons. Anyway, I wanted to post this chapter before the year ends so here it goes. Happy holidays everyone!

"I'm glad you like it, Wave."

Perth smiles at the scene he witnessed at the gardens in the water realm. Saint is sitting crosslegged on the ground and talking to Wave who is excitedly waving her arms and pointing to the small ice structures behind her. The other sprites are busy playing but once and a while they chitter a delighted "thank you" to Saint. It seems like the immortal had made them their own playground with his powers - complete with slides and varying obstacles.

"You're spoiling them," Perth calls out teasingly but there is fondness in his voice. "Sooner or later, they won't work for us anymore."

The oracle zooms pass Perth and rolls down the ice slide. The water god laughs at the ridiculous display of a heavenly item looking like an ordinary ball.

Perth is distracted so he didn't see Saint stand up and launch himself into his husband's arms. He was only in time to catch him snug into his embrace.

"Perth!" Saint smiles brightly.

Perth smiles back at him. "I missed you too."

It's been a month since their wedding and Perth didn't want to leave for anything but there are troubling news in the borders of the heavenly realm so his presence was requested as the higher immortals all convened to talk about what is happening and what must be done.

Perth was only gone for 2 nights but based on Saint's passionate greeting, his beloved had missed him nonetheless.

Saint places a quick kiss on Perth's cheek and realizing that's not enough, kisses the water god's lips.

Perth couldn't help the grin on his face. Saint has really become more open and confident the longer they are together. He is also more talkative now and less afraid to say what's on his mind.

"I couldn't sleep properly without you here. I was worried," Saint confides. "How was the assembly?"

Perth shakes his head. "Not good. There is too little information because it has been so long ago since anyone has even seen the monster responsible for all this chaos. All we know is that it's an ancient sea creature older than most of us. Even Aisha isn't sure of what to expect."

Long ago, at the beginning of time, when only a few deities were alive, a huge sea monster wrecked havoc. It is said to be so big that it could swallow whole ships in one bite and it is bloodthirsty and ruthless. But the deadliest thing about it is the fact it is also gifted with an extraordinary intelligence unlike any beast anyone has ever known. The few gods, led by the Jade Emperor, were unable to completely subdue the monster and so instead, they used their combined power to seal up the creature in the deepest sunken caves where it remained for thousands of years.

Recently, however, immortals and humans alike have been missing and only very little of their remains have been found. The gods' suspicion was confirmed when after a heated confrontation, they were able to find out that the ancient sea creature has indeed been set loose, the wards broken and all the guards killed. They are still looking for the culprit of such a heineous crime.

"Oh no. It sounds dangerous. Should we prepare? How can I help?"

Perth tucks a stray hair behind Saint's ear. "You're always so kind. But I'll feel better if you're away from the threat. You wanted to visit your village, right? I think now is a good time. You'll be safer there."

Saint holds Perth's hand and then guides him to the ice structures he made for the sprites. "Do you remember when Suada threatened us? All I was thinking then was what use am I if I can't even protect my home and my family? It's the same thing now."

Perth wraps his arms around Saint and embraces him from behind. "You're the most important being in my life. Your powers are strong but new. I don't want to take chances of you getting hurt."

"I feel the same way. I won't leave you. We're married now and I don't know around here but from where I came from, that means we fight together." Saint leans back against Perth and intertwines their fingers. "And we'll win together."

Perth tightens his embrace on Saint. "I really can't change your mind?"

"Not a chance."

Perth smiles and kisses Saint fondly. "Alright then, my stubborn immortal, how about this? We'll go down to earth together."

Saint turns in Perth's embrace. "Will it be alright?"

"Of course. We don't have to worry yet about something so uncertain. I know you've missed your village and it'll only be for a couple of weeks."

"Thank you Perth."

"Anything for you."

Before going down to earth, Perth meets up with Aisha to tell her of his plan.

_"It is such diffiult times, why are you leaving? If our defenses fail, humans won't be safe either," Aisha reminds him. "We're dealing with a sea monster. We need you here."_

_"I know. But what good am I here if I can't focus? I will only be a liability. I need a few days on earth to convince Saint to let me fight alone."_

_Aisha sighs. "Honestly Perth, I think it would be better for Saint to join the fight. He is one of us now. You have to stop treating him like a fragile human."_

_"Not you too. I know he has powers now and I know he can fight. But that precisely is it. Saint will fight with all he's got. He does not yet know restraint and I'm afraid of the consequences of that. I will not lose him, Aisha. Not to this creature and certainly not to death." Perth is firm in his resolve. Saint will not join this fight._

_Aisha pats his shoulder. "Then I hope I am wrong and Saint is not stubborn enough to hold you back."_

Once they are on earth, the first thing Perth and Saint does is go to all the places Saint considers special. First, there is his parents' house. It has never been his since his parents died and a different family already lives there now but it holds significance in Saint's heart nonetheless. He used to pass by there from time to time and imagine his life with his parents if they had not died.

Perhaps they would be like the family living there now - content and happy.

_"Would you like me to ask them to return the house to you?"_

_From a few feet away, Perth watches the family who lives in the house. The father has one of his sons on his shoulder and the other running around in front of them. His daughter is carrying a small basket and is helping her mother harvest some vegetables from their small garden._

_Saint smiles, amused. "And what would I do with it? Home is wherever you are Perth and I don't think you'd exchange the water realm for something a simple as this."_

_Saint says that so casually, as if it is something that is set to stone that Perth to him is the very definition of home._

_"Home is wherever you are too, Saint. Whether on the water realm or in this hut."_

_Saint reaches for Perth's lips as a silent thank you. "I am more pleased with the fact that a happy family is filling this place with love. I don't need to own this. It will still remain in my memories."_

The next place they go to is the stream on the border of the village. Because time moves faster in earth than in the heavenly realms, it has been quite some time here since the first return of the rains and the stream that used to be shrinking has now regained fullness.

_"I used to get water from here, right up to that day you first saw me at the festival," Saint shares._

_"Oh?"_

_Saint nods. "Truth be told, the boys used to make fun of me here. I guess I wasn't as manly as the rest of them. But I did my job just fine."_

_Perth frowns. "Give me their names."_

_Saint laughs at the threat in Perth's voice. "Perth, no."_

_"Why not?"_

_Saint nudges his husband. "Let it go. They were just foolish kids."_

_Perth huffs. "You forgive so easily."_

_"They don't mean that much to me for me to bother with revenge, Perth. Besides, I have you, I have this life. I don't want to keep looking at the darker parts of my past."_

The next place they visit is not something born of sentiment but of practicality. It is getting dark and Perth figures he should visit the elders to borrow a house he and Saint could use while they are in this village. He could simply take it, as it is his right as a god, but Saint would be upset at what he perceives as 'rudeness'.

The elders are understandably flustered about the sudden visit but are quick to make arrangements for the couple. After all, they have been blessed by water and they don't want it taken away.

As Perth and Saint settles in for the night on the bed the elders have provided, Saint whispers a soft "thank you" to Perth.

"What for?" Perth asks.

"For this. For going here with me. I used to be convinced that all my life, it would just be me going through the motions, surviving but not living. I often wondered when I could rejoin my parents in eternal peace. Then you came for me and for the first time ever, everyday I wake up feels like a blessing. It would have been terrible to revisit the places I've once felt so isolated in on my own but because you're with me, I don't feel so alone anymore."

Perth gathers Saint close. "You don't have to thank me for that because you brought joy to my life too. Imagine how long I've waited to have someone like you in my arms, Saint."

Saint turns and buries his head on Perth's neck. "I love you." The darkness of the night hides the immortal's burning cheeks. He's still not used to just being able to say that out loud.

Perth embraces him tighter. "I love you too."

For the next few days, Perth and Saint leisurely goes around the village, enjoying the people's hospitality. There are feasts in honor of their arrival and Saint is treated better than he ever was before. In fact, they look to him with a mix of awe and reverence.

The older villagers dare not ask any questions but the children are not so prudent in their curiousity. They often gather around Saint and ask all sort of questions. Their parents try to dissuade them, terrified of the children saying the wrong things but Saint entertains their inquiries well. He has always adored children and had often wished he could interact with them more. But back then, he had been afraid that the children would somehow be affected by his 'curse' and so he avoided approaching them. Now that his presence is considered a blessing rather than a curse, he is very excited to interact with the children.

"Are you married to the Divine One?" a little girl that looks to be around 6 or 7 asks. "Like Mother and Father?"

Saint nods and glances at Perth who also has his fair share of curious kids around him. "Yes, I am. Isn't he handsome?"

The girl giggles. "Yes he is."

"But you're a boy!" A boy slightly older than the little girl exclaims, his eyes flashing in defiance but also confusion and interestingly, hope. Saint notices he's holding the hand of another boy his age.

"What's your name?" Saint asks.

It is the other boy who responds first. "I'm Chimon. This dumdum is Nanon. Don't mind him. His mother must have dropped him on his head when he was a baby."

"Hey!" Nanon protests.

"You're so eloquent," Saint says to Chimon, surprised.

Chimon squints his eyes. "What's 'eloquent'?"

Nanon shrugs. "Pretty?"

Chimon smacks him. "Stupid Nanon."

Saint laughs. "No, it means you speak well. Although, you _are_ pretty too."

"I'm a boy, I can't be pretty."

Saint crouches so he is at eye level with the boys. "I thought the same thing too. But do you know what my husband told me?"

They both lean in, interested.

Saint smiles. "He told me I could be anything I wanted to be. That means you can be pretty." He taps Chimon's shoulder and then looks at Nanon. "And you can love and marry whoever your heart calls for, even if he's a boy."

Nanon's eyes widen. He turns to Chimon and then look back to Saint.

"Nanon!" A woman shouts from not far away. "Come back home, you little rascal!"

"Oh no, it's Mother! Let's go 'Mon!" Nanon grabs his friend's hand.

"You always get me in trouble! If my Mother finds out-" Chimon grumbles but runs at Nanon's pace nonetheless.

Saint shakes his head fondly at them.

Perth approaches him. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing at all." He smiles. "Everything is perfect."

Perth is pleased with the warm welcome the people are giving Saint. He knows how fickle humans can be and he knew beforehand that their attitude will change once Saint becomes someone important but he was still worried they would make him feel as alienated as he had felt before. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Things have been going so well that Perth is hesitant to ask Saint about going away to join the fight against the sea monster threatening the peace of the world. Aisha is not pleased with him and she tells him through a vision.

_"I know you found a family of your own. You've found happiness and I couldn't be prouder to know you are trying to protect it. But that happiness can be taken away from you. This sea monster is more illusive and fearsome than we thought. We need you in our ranks." Aisha sounds worried and anxious._

While Perth is pondering how to tell Saint, the immortal himself has come to an important decision. It took a lot of courage for him to go to his friend Tasanee's house. She had been avoiding him and at a loss, Saint just let her.

Today is different though.

Perth squeezed Saint's hand comfortingly. "Are you certain you want to talk to her?"

Saint looks at Tasanee's house. "Tasanee was my only friend. We made some good memories together. I don't want her to think I abandoned her once I got a better life."

As if on cue, the front door opens and Tasanee walks out the house. She instantly sees Saint. Brows furrowed, she says nothing as she walks away.

"Tasanee wait!" Saint steps forward and then remembers Perth is with him. He looks back at him.

"Go on then. I won't disturb you. I can tell this is important for you. Your friend probably doesn't want anyone else listening in on your conversation so I'll just meet you at the house tonight once you're done."

Upon Perth's encouragement, Saint goes to follow Tasanee.

Meanwhile, Perth is searching for a person too. There is something that Saint had said before that is still weighing on his mind.

_"He touched me but I didn't want it. Believe me, I tried to run away as soon as I can but he had already disrobed and touched me-"_

Saint might have forgiven him but there is no way that Perth will let that man go unscathed after the trauma he brought upon Saint. Now that they are on Earth, it will be easier to track him down.

Just from asking the villagers some leading questions, he was able to infer that the man was a traveling farmhand and does not stay at the village but that luckily for Perth, the man had returned to find more work just a few days before Perth and Saint's arrival. He is still staying in the town near them.

It's time to pay a visit and teach him what happens to people who can't keep their hands to themselves. Face stoic and stern, Perth goes to find the man and deliver divine punishment.

That night, he finds him at one of the taverns, drinking at a secluded corner while talking sweetly to a lady who looked uncomfortable with his attention.

The man is tall, muscular and has sharp angular features. He's not bad looking but he's not that special. Next to Perth, he looks outright plain.

Perth stands next to him. "It must be difficult being you."

"Beg your pardon?" The man says. The lady he was talking to takes the opportunity to leave. The man looks annoyed at the interruption but addresses Perth nonetheless. "Were you talking to me?"

Perth turns to him. "Yes. I know you're a for-hire farmhand."

Mistaking the conversation for friendliness, the man grins, always eager for more work. "You're correct, Sir. Do you need a farm that needs tending to?"

"Oh I don't have a job for you." Perth's eyes are cold. "But even if I did, I wouldn't want to give them to someone who thinks the farm is not the only thing he can _tend to_."

The man frowns. "What? Who are you, really?"

Perth leans back, nonchalant but powerful. "You're not really in any position to be asking any questions. You see, someone I love very much suffered in his heart and mind for years because a man has taken advantage of his feelings and forced him to do something he was not ready for. Worse, that man smeared his name in mud and turned the blame on him."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I'm talking about what you did to my Saint, you dirty lowlife." Perth never once raised his voice but everything in his demeanor suggests he is infuriated right now.

There is no recognition in the man's face upon hearing the name.

Perth grits his teeth. "You don't even remember him, do you? You caused him so much pain and yet you didn't even lose one sleep over him. Well, that's about to change." Perth's eyes flash briefly with blue and gold, owing to his divinity.

The man sees that color change and realizes he's dealing with something supernatural. "W-what are you?!"

"Hmm, I should give you a demonstration instead of an introduction." Without moving from his spot, Perth stares down the man and slowly, the man's eyes become drier and drier. "You see, I'm not allowed to kill you directly. But unfortunately for you, humans are oh so nicely made up of so much water."

"What are you doing to me?!" The man rubs his eyes, his vision getting blurrier and the pain intensifying. "Stop it! What do you want?!"

"I want nothing from you. I just want you to live your life being in pain, for you to wake up only to realize there is nothing you can see anymore, your body so shriveled up that you cannot work anymore. Death will come for you eventually but I will make sure every single day before that will be full of your sufferings. I, the Water God, bestow this punishment upon you."

"No please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll do anything you want! I beg you!"

Perth remains unaffected. "It is too late now. Your apologies will not save you and is worth nothing. It's time to pay for your sins."

Perth leaves him there, slumped on the ground. Until the man's death, he - and everyone he meets thereafter - will know and never forget how wretched of a human being he is and how he has been punished by a God.

Perth is in a better mood once he arrives at the house he and Saint are staying in. He had avenged his beloved and justice is restored. It's a good night.

He is, however, surprised when he enters the house and he sees Saint sitting on a chair, waiting and just staring into nothing. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon. How did your talk with Tasanee go?"

Saint stands and walks toward Perth once he hears him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Saint. You seem troubled. Is something wrong?" Perth leans down to touch Saint's face.

Saint is still staring intently at Perth, as if searching for an answer there. "What is the cost of you upsetting the balance by stopping the rains?"

Perth is taken aback by the question. "Why are you asking this now?"

"Was it supposed to be the life of a child born in your year, the year of the dragon king?"

And there it is, the link that Perth so desperately wants to be untrue. He had a sinking feeling ever since he talked to Aisha about Saint being called the cursed child.

_"Saint was born the day you stopped the rains. His very existence is a reminder to the people of what they had lost."_

_"And his parents?"_

_"Died that day."_

He was afraid that his foolishness back then was connected to Saint. He had no idea that causing a disruption to the cosmic balance requires precious life. He had not cared enough to find out. But then, once he met Saint, there had been a niggling question at the back of Perth's mind. That maybe he had to revisit his past.

And that there is something darker there that Perth didn't know. He found out that the cost was supposed to be the life of a child that will be born with so much good energy, a child born in the year of the dragon king, Perth's other title.

He did not find out anything aside from that. But he had his suspicions. That maybe, someone had exchanged their life for that child.

"Saint-"

"Answer me, Perth."

"Yes," Perth says eventually. There is no sense denying the truth, no matter how painful it is.

Saint steps back, away from Perth's touch. "That was supposed to be me...I was born in that year. I was the one who was supposed to be sacrificed."

"Saint, we're not sure if that's really what happened-"

"Of course it was!" There are tears in Saint's eyes. "My parents paid the price instead...It all makes sense now. They were perfectly healthy, why would they suddenly die? The people were right about me all along. I am cursed."

"No Saint, that's not true. What happened was not your fault."

Saint turns to Perth, his face pained and vengeful. "You're right, it isn't my fault." Later, he will regret the words he would say. But right now, he wants to lash out and Perth is conveniently in front of him. "It's yours. All my life, I believed it was simply my bad luck that made my parents die and turn me into an orphan as soon as I was born. But now I know it isn't. You made me into an orphan. You doomed me into a life of loneliness just because you were miserable with your own life. Then fate was so cruel as to make me cross paths with you and make you my husband. My parents' murderer, my husband. The irony." He laughs hysterically, without humor.

"I'm sorry, Saint."

Saint wipes his tears away. "I can't even choose to get away from you, can I?"

Perth steps closer. He reaches out but stops in midair. He lowers his hand. "You still have a choice, Saint. You are an immortal now, that won't change even if...even if you no longer want to be with me."

Saint doesn't react.

At that moment, Aisha appears in front of them, bringing urgent news.

"Perth! The sea monster has finally revealed itself. Several of the immortals are injured. You need to help us. We can't let it get away to inflict more damage."

Perth looks at Saint, hesitant.

"Go." Saint refuses to meet Perth's eyes. "I don't need you here, anyway."

Aisha turns to Saint, surprised. She expected he would hold Perth back.

"For what it's worth, if I could turn back time and bring back your parents for you, I would," Perth says.

"But you can't. Just leave Perth. I don't want to see you ever again."

Perth stares at Saint for a few seconds that seems so long, as if committing his face to memory. "Very well." Eyes sad, he leaves.

Later, alone in the house, Saint hugs himself and breaks down crying.


	13. Without a Trace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re back to Sunday postings! Hope you like this 🥰

A week passed after Saint told Perth to go away, to never return.

_"Just leave, Perth. I don't want to see you ever again."_

A week of Perth honoring that request. No visions in the water, no whispers in the wind, not a single news about the water god. Saint knows it's intentional. Perth is a powerful deity. If he wanted, no distance could stop him from communicating to Saint. But he's remaining silent because Saint told him to.

Or at least that's what Saint wants to believe. It's certainly better than the dread at the pit of his stomach while thinking of the possibility that Perth could be in battle, hurt. Or worse-

_No. He is fine. He's strong and he can handle himself._

Saint wishes he could reassure himself with those words. But all he could think of is Perth's face before he left. He looked...defeated. Like nothing else mattered anymore. He had never seen Perth like that before. A part of him is worried that it might hinder Perth from focusing on the fight against the sea monster. He's worried Perth will make a reckless mistake.

Saint remembers how disturbed Perth was by the creature unleashed on the heavenly realm. He tried to hide his concern but Saint saw right through him. Even as they went to earth, Perth was still thinking about the fight he turned his back on. The fact that Aisha personally came to fetch him means the situation is more dire than the god was letting on. Defeating the sea monster won't be easy even when one has full concentration on the task at hand. What more if Perth is distracted. Saint has been so agonized over that since Perth left that he had been having cruelly vivid nightmares.

Sometimes it would be at a crimson stained sea, with dead bodies floating and as if in a trance, Saint would be looking for that one face...looking for it but hoping he won't find it among the destruction.

Sometimes it would be on land, with an injured Perth standing in a pool of his own blood. Saint would reach out to him but just before their fingers touch, an enormous cloud of blackness would engulf Perth. Saint would see sharp teeth glinting and then the terrifying sound of those teeth ripping through flesh.

Each time, Saint would end up screaming as he wakes up.

Then there's the matter of the death of Saint's parents. Perth knows how much Saint wishes he could have known them, grown up with them, and so for the water god to conceal the fact that he has an involvement in their death came as a shock. Saint felt - still feels - betrayed.

It haunts him that Perth might have never had told him if Tasanee had not accidentally blurted it out that day Saint went to talk to her.

_"Tass..."_

_Tassanee stops walking, her back to Saint, stiff as a board._

_Even before she turns around, Saint already knows she heard him. Once she does face him, there is a frown on her face but she bows respectfully. "What can I help you with, my Lord?"_

_Saint shakes his head. "Don't call me that. This is me, your friend. I'm the same person I was when I left."_

_"Things are different now. I do not dare to speak to you informally or your husband might punish me. The gods can be very cruel."_

_"You're scared of Perth? You shouldn't be. He's kind and so very gentle beneath that stern exterior." Saint is aware he's gushing over his husband but could not seem to stop nor does he want to stop. He wants everyone to love Perth as he loves him._

_Tasanee looks at him. "You love him." It's a statement._

_Saint blushes but does not deny the statement. "Very much so."_

_"I guess he's given you enough for you to cherish him still despite what he has done."_

_"What he has done?" Saint repeats, his brows furrowed. "I don't understand...."_

_"Oh you poor thing. You don't know, do you?" Tassanee's eyes are full of pity. "Your curse - it's because of the water god's ill intent."_

_Then Tasanee proceeds to tell Saint the truth - that when Perth cursed the humans to years of drought, the heavens had demanded a price for them to turn a blind eye to what he has done. Because it was meant to be a sacrifice, they were supposed to take away the one person that fate has intented to be Perth's salvation, a baby born in the year of the Dragon King with all the good energy meant to match perfectly with Perth's powers. The exchange was meant to cripple Perth's abilities and to pierce his heart as well. He would have suffered a heartwrenching emptiness for he would never realize his full potential and would never learn to be loved._

_The baby's blood was meant to be spilled. Instead, with the help of the shaman that warned Saint's mother about her vision, Saint's parents tricked the heavens into taking them instead through a forbidden ritual that switches a human's life force for another. In this case, Saint's energy was so great that it required two humans to cover it up. Thus, the day Saint took his first breath, his parents took their last. Deed done, the shaman fled and never spoke of what happened that day._

_"No...this is absurd! If you hate me, you should just say so. You don't need to come up with these lies," Saint says, trembling._

_Tasanee shrugs. "I do hate you but I'm not lying. I cannot possibly come up with a story like that. It's twisted. I never would have told you about this because I'm terrifed of the consequences but you keep pestering me. If you don't believe me, you can check your mother's letters yourself. Not everything is in there but you're a smart man, I'm certain you can piece the story together."_

_"You have my mother's letters?" For so long, Saint had wanted a connection to his mother. To think that she had left behind something as valuable as her words..._

_"Your uncle and aunt had them. They said when your parents died, they just stored their things away without going through them. They considered it bad luck to touch those things or get rid of it without a proper ceremony but they couldn't be bothered to pay for a shaman either so it was just forgotten," Tasanee explains. "When the Divine Water God took you with him, your aunt wanted to perform the ceremony for those things as way to get into good graces with you. She consulted my mother and that's when I found those letters. I hid it without anyone knowing. If you want to read them, I can get them for you."_

_"You know I was never taught how to read or write." Saint's aunt and uncle saw no need for that. Their nephew was just meant to be their servant for life, after all. "But I still would like to have those letters," Saint's voice is monotonous. He is still very much in shock._

Saint spent hours crying over his mother's letters but taking care not to wet them with his tears. He couldn't read them but just knowing those are his mother's handwriting is enough. When the tears stopped, he headed back to the house he shared with Perth, to wait for his husband and confront him, once and for all.

In his heart, he had a little bit of hope that maybe Perth simply didn't know any of it. Or that maybe the shaman and his parents just got it all wrong.

He waited anxiously, hoping against hope.

But all of that came crashing down when Perth admitted to everything.

"Divine one! Is that name right? Or maybe, 'my Lord'? I heard Mother call him that. Ow! Quit moving so much Non! I can't see!"

"Well maybe if you weren't short-"

"Shut it! You're just a little bit taller than me!"

From his place in his bed - his depressingly cold bed - where he spends most of his time lying in and staring at nothing, Saint hears the ruckus just outside his window. It sounds like two boys arguing. The voices sound familiar, too.

Saint doesn't have the will to check what they are doing though. He just wants to lie in his bed, close his eyes and just stop the pain. He wants to go back to the time where he's oblivious about the truth. He wants to go back to when Perth's arms are around him. He misses his husband's embrace. He misses Perth himself. Then he ends up hating himself because of that yearning. How miserable his parents must feel to know Saint wants to be with the person who is the reason they're dead. What use is their sacrifice if Saint can't even bear the thought of Perth being harmed?

Saint curls up, sick to his stomach because of all these conflicting feelings inside him.

"Argh! I'm gonna fall!"

Unable to ignore children in danger, Saint snaps out of his lethargy, rushes to the window and grips the boy's arm before he can plummet back down to the other boy anxiously looking up at them. Saint recognizes them as Nanon and Chimon, the boys he had talked to before. It seems like Nanon had tried to boost Chimon up to the window but Chimon's hand must have slipped.

"What are you two doing here?" Saint asks while helping Chimon up to safety.

Chimon grins and hollers back down to Nanon, "I'm okay!"

Nanon grins back. "Okay!"

Saint sighs. "Come through the front door, Nanon," he says to the boy outside. "Like you should have done in the first place."

"We did," Chimon argues. "But no one answered our knocks."

"I must have been sleeping." Saint invites Chimon - and later Nanon as well - to eat some of the food the villagers have brought to the house.

While eating, Saint asks the boys again why they wanted to see him.

"It's nice to talk to you. You don't use the tone the other adults use with us. You don't treat us like babies," Chimon replies.

"And we heard something the adults were whispering about. We thought you'd like to know," Nanon adds.

"Hmm, what is it?" Saint isn't really interested in any tittle-tattle but he supposes he could listen to the children. It might get his mind off of thinking about questions that he has no answer for anyway.

Nanon swallows the fruit he's chewing before speaking. "There's a blind man wandering in this village who wants to talk to you. Mother says he's from the next town."

"Oh." Saint isn't surprised. The talks of two immortals staying in this village must have spread to other towns. The man might have wanted to gain favor.

"But there's more." Chimon scoots closer. "He looks really creepy. He doesn't look like a normal blind man."

"His eyeballs looked like they've been-" On the table, Nanon finds a piece of grabe. He takes a fork and pokes the grape until it burst. "Poof! Like that."

Chimon nods. "I overheard the adults talking about him. He claims his blindness is because he had crossed you before and the water god took vengeance for you."

"What?" Perth took vengeance for him? What in the world-

_"Saint, you listen to me. No one is allowed to touch you intimately without your consent." There is a deadly calm to Perth's demeanor as he asks, "Now who is that scum of the earth that did that to you?"_

"It can't be..." How even did Perth track down that man?

The boys turn to Saint at his whisper but before they could say anything else, Saint hears a strange buzzing sound near them, followed by Aisha appearing right there in the kitchen.

One look at Aisha's cautious face and Saint instantly knows something is very wrong.

He ushers the children to the door, telling them there is something important he has to do, and that they should go home for now.

The boys leave without any protest and Saint is left with Aisha. Heart thundering in his chest, he asks "Where is Perth?"

"Saint...we don't know where Perth is," Aisha admits, her face downcast. "But there's a possibility that he's de-"

_Dead_.

"Don't say it," Saint interrupts sharply. "Until I see Perth himself, I won't entertain any unfounded information about his well-being. Please, just tell me what you do know for certain."

"Very well," Aisha agrees, her eyes still full of worry and pity that Saint is trying to ignore. He's well aware that she thinks he's in denial. He doesn't care. Perth is okay. He has to be okay.

"We thought we knew how powerful the sea monster really is but even with all the preparation, we were sorely unprepared for how vicious it is," Aisha explains. "Perth is the master of the waters and so he was at the frontlines together with a few more immortals. They nearly managed to subdue the sea monster despite being heavily injured by the end of the first day of battle. But that creature is more cunning than what we anticipated. It was able to escape from our grasp, managing to kill several immortals on its way - including Suada, the one who released it."

_Suada caused this chaos?_ Later, Saint will think about that. For now, he wants to know everything that had transpired while he was idling away in this village, in his bed. "And Perth?"

"Perth wanted to go after the sea monster before it could recuperate and regain its strength. He said if we want to stand a chance against the creature, we should take this opportunity. I warned him not to go but Perth was adamant. That was yesterday and we have not heard from him since. I rushed here as soon as I can to tell you about this. I owe it to Perth for taking him away from this happiness he had found after so much loneliness." Aisha's eyes are full of remorse. "Before he disappeared, he mentioned that he didn't think anyone would be waiting for him. But I know you do. I thought you deserve the right to know that your husband might not be coming home."

"You're wrong." Saint's voice is trembling. Perth has to come home. Their fight can't be the last memory he has of Perth. He is terrified that he will no longer get to feel his husband's embrace, never see him smile that pleased smile he has where his eyes squint, never again be able to tell him he loves him.

That last one is the one weighing heavily on Saint's heart. He is still angry, he is still heartbroken, but his love for Perth? It never went away. He will not forgive himself if Perth will be gone forever thinking Saint does not love him anymore.

And now, Aisha is telling him he might not see him again. No. Saint will not simply accept that.

"Saint, I am aware that you and Perth were not on good terms before he left so I will understand if you would like to stay here in your village. But Perth had always made clear that the water realm is open to you, no matter the circumstance. If you like, I can take you back there," Aisha offers.

"Yes, I'd like to come home," Saint responds. He wants to go there not only because it is the place that reminds him most of Perth but because he is on a mission of his own. He believes Perth is alive and that he will, at some point, try to detour to his realm.

Saint will be waiting for him once he does, ready to tend to him and join the fight.


	14. The Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is graphic description of a dead body in this chapter. If that is distressing for you, please skip the part I have labled as “TRIGGER WARNING” and skip to the part where it says “END OF TRIGGER WARNING”. You will not miss anything vital except for the description itself.

_“The current is too strong!” The yell is coming from a hazy image of a man floating just above the raging water. “It’s pitch black in here! Where is it? Do you see it?”_

_The voice sounds just like Perth._

_An enormous entity swims past by him so fast that it it’s hard to see a clear picture of it. All that one can catch with the naked eye is a blur._

_Suddenly, Suada appears out of thin air. Unbothered by the chaos she stepped into, she smiles cruelly. “Told you, you’ll pay.” An eerie laugh._

_“Saint!” The man on the water turns and reveals himself to be Perth but his face can only be seen for a second before the tides consume him, engulfing him and pulling him deeper into the water. He’s fighting the grip of the sea but it’s too much. Even so, with every gulp of air he manages to take, he calls out for Saint._

_Two new voices can be heard alongside Perth’s shout and Suada’s laugh. This time, the new voices sounds older, more hoarse, and echoing in a way that makes it difficult to determine where they’re coming from._

_“Saint...” The new male voice._

_“My son, have you forgotten us?” A sorrowful female lament._

_Perth calls out once more, more urgent now. Panicked and in pain. “Saint!”_

“Saint!”

Saint startles awake. In front of him is Aisha, looking at him worriedly. She had caught him sleeping inside one of the many rooms in the water realm, sitting on a chair and his head resting on the table in front of him.

The table itself has papers and scrolls strewn haphazardly on it. It shows Saint’s effort to keep himself busy by planning a strategy for if - when - Perth arrives. It is proving to be difficult because not only has he never had to fight in a battle of this scale, he is also woefully unprepared for whatever this creature is that is wrecking havoc in all the realms. Perth had tried to shield and protect him from anything dangerous out of good will and his love for him, Saint knows that much. But in doing so, he had now left him utterly defenseless.

Saint is trying to make up for it by searching for battle plans and whatnot around Perth’s castle but the only scrolls he can understand are the ones that have illustrations. Ever since Aisha brought him back from earth, he had been wishing he could have at least some knowledge about what he’s about to face. If only he could read, that would have greatly helped.

With time passing and still no news about Perth, he is growing increasingly frustrated. He feels useless just waiting here. His worries must have manifested in his dreams once again. He’s not even surprised anymore. He knows he will not stop being anxious until he sees his husband once again.

“Nightmares?” Aisha asks. She gently pushes back Saint’s hair in a comforting manner. Like a mother would. Not that Saint would know. He had never had a mother in his life.

And there it is again, the conflicting emotions raging through him. He was never given the chance to properly process what really happened to his parents and now he must focus on another hurdle. He wishes he can just get over it, but he can’t. However, of all the things he is unsure of, there is one thing that’s certain - he wants Perth safe.

“Have you heard anything?” Saint asks the goddess.

Aisha hesitently nods.

Saint stands up in surprise. “What is it? Is it Perth? Has he been found? Is he okay? Is he hurt?”

Aisha places her hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t want to tell you because I don’t know how you’ll take this but a body has been found.”

Saint slowly sits back down. “A...body.” Not _someone_ but a body. “I don’t understand...we’re immortal, aren’t we?” Saint has been going through this confusion for quite some time now. Immortals can bleed, can be locked up, but Saint had the assumption that they cannot be killed. And yet immortals are dying.

“Yes, we are. But one of the reasons this monster remains alive and formidable is the fact that it thrives off of our immortality. It does not only consume our flesh but it steals our spiritual cognition. Without it, we would not be different from any mere human,” Aisha explains. She grits her teeth. “Suada must not have known what game she was playing when she released this monster but it took several immortals dying or being turned into mortal beings for it be imprisoned before. I fear that the same thing is happening now.”

“And you think this body you’ve found is Perth?” Saint asks.

Instead of answering, Aisha hands Saint an envelope with a golden seal on it. “Invitation to the higher realms. The body is there and I haven’t seen it yet because I wanted to personally deliver the inviation to you but according to the description the higher gods have sent, it is a male corpse wearing a black robe with a dragon embroidered on it.”

Perth’s clothes. The dead body is wearing Perth’s clothes. The dragon is Perth’s symbol after all.

Saint clenches his fist. “It’s not Perth.” It can’t be him.

“Saint...”

“Take me to him. I’ll prove to you that it’s not Perth.”

“Are you sure?”

Saint nods. “I also know I will be called in either way to identify the body. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Wave, who had been napping next to Saint earlier, inches closer to her upset master. Saint absentmindedly pats her. “It’s alright, Wave.”

“Without the spirit, we cannot tell who it is. We have to rely on physical characteristics or any other clue that we may have missed. That is why the higher immortals wishes to speak to you as Perth’s husband.” Aisha pauses. “I should warn you, based on the description they sent, the body must look horrible.”

“I understand,” Saint responds.

“Do you really?” Aisha asks bluntly. “Saint, you have a choice here. The higher gods may request your presence but if you choose not to go, they will not force you. Not while I’m still breathing.” She stands up straight, her very presence divine and powerful. She is not an ordinary immortal and woe is to the being who dares to cross her.

“I appreciate you trying to protect my emotions, Aisha but that is not Perth. My husband is alive. I want to prove that to everyone so I will go and tell them myself.”

Saint prepares for the trip immediately. There is not much he has to pack since it will be a quick trip but he does leave specific instructions to the sprites to send him a vision through the water at any sign of danger. He had vowed to himself and to Perth that he would protect the realm. Although the God wasn’t there to hear his promise, he intends to keep it nonetheless.

Throughout the short journey, Wave in tow and Aisha at his side, Saint keeps convincing himself that Perth is okay and that this trip will not end with him bringing back a cold, lifeless body...

“Perth is okay, Wave. He’ll find a way back to us. He’ll come home, you’ll see.” Saint isn’t sure anymore if the whispered phrases are for the tiny water sprite on his shoulder or for himself.

At the doorway of the most sacred realms, two towering marble statues stand, each holding a thick spear crossed and blocking the entrance. At their feet rests a gigantic white tiger, looking at anyone who comes near with an intelligent but calculating look unlike any ordinary beast. It is certainly intimidating, especially since just one of the tiger’s paws is easily bigger than Saint’s whole body. Wave, clearly terrified, hides behind Saint.

Saint stands his ground even if he is shaken inside. He then presents his invitation. Beside him, Aisha does the same. The tiger roars, showing its rows of razor sharp teeth. Upon hearing the sound, the marble statues come to life and lift away the spears. The tiger turns its back on them and leads the way into the realms before disappearing. Saint and Aisha bow in respect and then follow the tiger.

“The white tiger is one of the four celestial guardians,” Aisha tells Saint.

Saint nods, retaining the information, but he is otherwise preoccupied by the pounding of his heart.

They end up in a council room of sorts where various stern-looking immortals are seated. At the center, a body covered in white sheet is floating.

“We shall begin.”

Saint did not look to see which immortal said it. His eyes are fixed on the corpse as the sheet is slipped away. His stomach turns at what is revealed. Now he understands why no one can recognize the person.

  
  


**TRIGGER WARNING**

Even without the stench of decomposing matter that the immortals were able to mask, it is clear that the time it took for the body to be transported to the sacred realm brought significant damage already to the corpse. Except for the tangles of long dark hair, the rest of him does not even resemble any human features. The face is swollen unevenly in a mottling of black and blue skin, with the distended tongue poking out in between slightly gaping lips. In contrast to the bulging areas, the forehead is bashed in, the eye sockets totally wrecked. It is hard to determine whether the man had his eyes open or closed at his time of death.

_What happened for his face to be like this?_

“Submerged for too long. The monster or the currents must have smashed against him,” an immortal answered. Saint wasn’t even aware he had spoken the question out loud.

Saint’s eyes averted from the face and lands on the hand of the corpse. The dark, ruptured veins stand out against the thin, almost translucent skin. Some of the nails aren’t intact, one hanging off of the edge. The fingers itself are sloughed off at some parts and black and wrinkled at others.

_Like those prunes served at the banquet_ , Saint thinks, bile quickly rising to his throat.

**END OF TRIGGER WARNING**

It is gruesome and terrifying and yet the breaking point for Saint is not how the body looks but the clothes on it. Despite the cuts and snags on it, most of the robe is intact.

Aisha had not been lying about the clothes having the dragon symbol on it. And Saint knows those clothes. Perth had been wearing the same robes when he left.

_“Just leave, Perth. I don’t want to see you ever again.”_

_“Very well.”_

He had turned around and the dragon on his sleeve seems too real as he moved, like it would fly off any moment. Proud and strong, like Perth himself.

Saint vomitted on the pristine floor of the council room. There are disapproving frowns and impatient huffs from the immortals directed at his ‘weak stomach’ but Aisha’s hand is kind and comforting as she rubs his back.

Wave frantically wipes Saint’s mouth, worried about her master. As a water sprite, she doesn’t really understand birth and death the same way as humans and even some immortal do. She also is not surprised by unconventional physical characteristics. Because of that, she isn’t really affected by the sight of to her what looks like just an unmoving body.

_Small mercies,_ Saint thinks, distantly. It’s a strange thing to latch on but it’s as if his mind is forcefully trying to divert his attention.

“Do you recognize the clothes?” An immortal asked.

Shaking and heart in pieces but still refusing to believe the more logical conclusion, Saint can only shake his head in denial.

“Saint...” Aisha urges, a gentle nudge for him to tell the truth. The council will not forgive him if he is found to be pursposely lying in a matter this significant. Even Aisha cannot save him then.

“It’s...it’s Perth’s clothes,” Saint finally says. “But I’m sure there is another explanation-”

But the council paid no heed to him, instead convening on how to proceed now that they have one less powerful fighter on their ranks.

Saint’s eyes are still on the body. They haven’t even bothered to cover it again with the white sheet so it is just...there.

That is supposed to be his husband. That is supposed to be Perth, the water god who laid his life to keep everyone else safe.

And no one is bothering to pay their respects to him.

Saint just feels numb. He says nothing as Aisha accompanies him and Wave back to the water realm. Before they left, the council had asked Saint if he would like to bring back the corpse but Saint couldn’t focus long enough to reply. It’s like his mind and body just gave up functioning.

Aisha answered for him. Saint has no idea what she said but they were able to go back the way they arrived - just him, Wave and the goddess.

Aisha doesn’t stay in the water realm for long. She still has a lot of responsibility even in these dangerous times, especially in these dangerous times. The death of such a powerful God has so much repurcussions to their chances of winning the fight. They have no idea where the sea monster is at and therefore, it is safe to assume it is still alive, lurking somewhere, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

The world doesn’t stop with the loss of one God.

Saint’s world, however, is in a standstill. It’s as if time stopped the moment he saw the dragon on that corpse, like nothing matters anymore.

He collapses on the bed - his and Perth’s - while clutching to his chest one of Perth’s clothes he had found. It doesn’t smell like Perth. Rationally, he knows it’s because the clothes have already been washed but reason does not make him any less angry.

Why doesn’t it smell like Perth?

Why isn’t Perth with him?

Why did Perth have to go and sacrifice himself like that?

“Is this what you want? For me to live the rest of my life in confused guilt? Isn’t it enough that you let me grow up without knowing my parents’ love? Now you’ve taken yourself away from me too?!” Saint throws the clothes on the floor and instantly regrets it. He picks up the clothes in panic and clutches it to his chest once more. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I love you. Please come back to me.”

He buries his head in the fabric, desperate for any scent, any reminder of his husband. Memories of their time together keep flashing in his head and he latches on to each and every one of them, terrified of losing even one memory. He doesn’t want to forget any detail of the way Perth smiled. He doesn’t want to forget his voice. He doesn’t want to forget how gentle his eyes had been as he looked at Saint.

Lost in a loop of grieving, Saint nearly did not see the flash of gold hurtling towards him. But he does see it at the corner of his eyes.

It is the Oracle and it stops right in front of Saint. The immortal drops the clothes in shock. “Y-you’re here...”

_“The Oracle is with Perth,”_ Aisha had said.

Saint sits up and reaches for the golden orb. All the while, he’s expecting it to disappear, for it to be just an illusion or a figment of his imagination.

But the orb does not disappear. Instead, it leads him out of his room, to the hallway - where some sprites are flying, anxiously awaiting orders - towards the clearing near the central pond where Perth is kneeling, wounded and exhausted but very much alive.

Some of the sprites are gathered around Perth and when they notice Saint approaching, they give way in order for him to kneel right next to his husband.

“Saint?” Perth is clearly taken aback. He tries to get up by anchoring his sword to the ground but he staggers and nearly falls.

Saint is there to catch him. “Careful.” He notes Perth’s injuries and his soaking wet appearance. His eyes follow the water dropping on the ground. It is stained red with blood. Clearly, Perth had been fighting for his life.

Saint tries not to think about the corpse he saw, tries not to dwell on the fact that it could have easily been Perth if not for the benevolence of fate. He turns to the sprites and gives them instructions. “Get some bandages and blankets, please. Prepare the bed too. I’ll take Perth there.”

The sprites hurries to do his bidding.

When Saint turns back to Perth, he sees him just staring at him, like he couldn’t quite believe he’s in front of him. Truth be told, Saint feels the same. He’s still scared that this is just a dream and he’d wake up to find Perth gone once again.

But dream or not, Perth’s injuries are a priority. “Let’s get you to bed. I need to tend to your wounds.” He assists Perth in walking towards their room.

“What are you doing here?” Perth asks, his voice unsure.

“Waiting for you,” Saint answers honestly.

“But I thought-”

Saint stops and looks at Perth. “Whatever it is that you thought, it couldn’t be that it ever crossed your mind that I will simply let you get hurt?”

Instead of an answer, Perth reaches for Saint’s cheek with his palm like he always does - gentle and full of reverence. “Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?”

“Just this morning I had to look at a corpse that was wearing your clothes. Of course I’ve been crying,” Saint snaps. He’s still angry at Perth’s recklessness and he tells him so. “You idiot. Why would you go after danger like that? Do you have any idea how terrified, how devastated, I was?”

“I’m sorry you had to see that. I had to divert the monster’s attention somehow and lure it to a different place while I make my way here so I exchanged my clothes with a dead servant. I didn’t think you’d see the corpse at all.” Perth frowns. “You saw the corpse which means the monster didn’t devour it. He’s still right on my trail.”

“We can worry about that later.” Saint tries to usher Perth once again towards their bedroom but the water god would not budge.

“You don’t understand-”

Just then, the Oracle circles around them frantically, obviously distressed.

“What’s happening?” Saint then hears a high pitch sound, like nails dragged across steel. He covers his ears. “What is that?!”

Perth takes both of Saint’s hands in his. “I’m sorry my love but we have no choice. The monster is trying to enter this realm and my barrier can only last for so long. You need to heal me now.”

“What? How?” Saint has no idea how Perth is expecting him to be able to heal him that fast.

“Water is healing and you and I, as guardians of it, are both capable of using that power. I can’t heal myself right now because I’m too weak. But you can.”

Saint just stares at Perth, uncertain. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never learned this...”

“It’s alright. I believe in you. You can do this.” There is truth and strong confidence in Perth’s eyes. He has always had unwavering faith that Saint can do anything he sets his mind on.

“I’ll try.” Saint places his hand over Perth’s side - where his most severe injury is - and hopes that he’s doing the right thing as he attempts to heal his husband.

It better be. Or else with the battle knocking at their doors, they’ll be doomed.


	15. Vapuan The Sea Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not entirely satisfied with this chapter but I did my best with the fight scenes so I hope you still like it. I apologize for the very late upload. Life has been hectic as I’m balancing work and online school.
> 
> As always, I appreciate every reader and those who leaves comments and kudos. I love y’all! You make writing this worth it.

In Saint's village, every child had gone through a phase where they would be completely terrified of the monsters from the stories the adults would tell.

There is the tale of Krasue, the female ghost who was cursed to be forever hungry and is said to roam the nights as a floating head with a viscera dangling below. It is said that she looks mainly for babies or pregnant women to prey on but is not adversed to eating young children too.

The story of Rofoi, the spirit with many faces, would also often be told. The Rofoi has the body of a 7 feet tall scorpion but its head can impersonate any creature's face. It uses this ability to terrify humans and feed off of the fear. The victim is kept imprisoned until it dies.

Most of the creatures would have disfigured bodies or gruesome descriptions and a hunger for blood and human flesh. The mere mention of their names would send children running home, avoiding the dark of the night.

But none of those monsters from the village stories hold a candle to what is in front of Saint now. The sea monster in front of him is gigantic, easily towering over the cliff Saint is standing on. He is willing to wager that what he sees of it is not even half of its actual size and that the rest of it is hiding beneath the waters.

The monster has the general shape of a sea serpent but its head is strangely bird-like, with the mouth rescembling a hawk's sharp beak - but lined with ragged sharp teeth, and protected by scales that look more like armor. Saint is quick to learn that the scales does serve the same function as armor - it is as impenetrable as steel. The tough scales run from the head of the monster down to the rest of its body. Each of its fins is as big as a whole ship.

_"Listen to me Saint. Vapuan is not just any creature. It is very dangerous for you to go with me," Perth warns._

_For the first time, someone has uttered the monster's name. Everyone else was too terrified to confirm that it is indeed Vapuan, the oldest sea monster alive - and the one who nearly wiped out all the immortals who tried to vanquish it at the beginning of time._

_No one really knows when and how Vapuan came to be but it is an ancient creature strong enough to rival the strongest immortals. It has the intelligence of a god but no conscience, which made it very dangerous. It soon became a problem when it started to consume everything in its path - mortal or immortal. The immortals were called together to slay the monster but no one was able to. As a last resort, they pushed Vapuan back into hiding and imprisoned it there._

_And now Saint is saying he wants to fight this creature._

_"I can handle myself, Perth. I will fight and together, we will win this," Saint insists._

"I might have underestimated this battle," Saint remarks as he runs at the edge of the cliff that is part of the water realm in order to avoid Vapuan's mouth diving towards him.

"I told you to stay behind." From beside him, Perth uses his power to make the water rise and put pressure on the monster in order to drag it down on the ocean floor but the monster fights against it.

In the middle of freezing the water so he can run on it (he had never learned how to fly or if he was even capable of it), Saint glares at Perth. "You did not ask me for my opinion when you wanted to fight right after getting healed by my questionable skills. Are you even truly alright?"

"Of course. You are an excellent healer," Perth says. He observes the way Saint expertly evades Vapuan's attacks and is weaving around it. "And a natural in fights, apparently." He is very obviously proud of Saint.

_A small amount of water is lifted from a nearby river and envelops Saint's hand. Surprised, he nearly loses focus._

_"You're doing it right, Saint. Don't doubt yourself," Perth says. He grimaces at a sudden, sharp pain from the wound where Saint is pressing._

_"Are you alright? Are you in pain? Did I hurt you?" Saint asks worriedly._

_Perth shakes his head. "I'll be fine."_

_"I don't know what I'm doing," Saint admits, frustrated. He wants to be useful to Perth. He wants to heal him because he hates seeing him in pain._

_"You already did it." Perth suddenly embraces him._

_"What?"_

_Perth takes Saint's other hand - the one without the water - and guides it to his side._

_"No, no, I'll hurt you!" Saint protests, pulling his hand and refusing to look._

_"Open your eyes, my love."_

_Saint tentatively pats the previously gaping wound and finally takes a look. There is not a sign of any injury there, not even a scar. "I...did that?" His voice is full of wonder._

_Perth smiles at him at wipes off the sweat forming at Saint's forehead. He suddenly halts however and tilts his head, frowning. There is an ominous silence where there was once a rumble of energy as Vapuan tried to get in the water realm._

_"DANGER!" The Oracle suddenly hisses in its own language. Right as the golden orb says that, there is a loud, high pitch screech._

_The two immortals look at each other._

_"The barrier broke down," Perth says._

_Wordlessly, Saint goes back to healing the rest of Perth's injuries. The Water God on the other hand, grips his sword, ready to leap back into the fight._

_"Tell the sprites to go back to the pond. I will need their energy and they will be safe there," Perth tells the Oracle. The sprites are born out the Water God's energy, given body by the pond water. As such, they have a link with Perth's power._

_"What do you mean you will need your energy? You're not thinking of fighting right after-"_

_The high pitch sound is louder now and then a roar is heard echoing._

_Perth stands up, grabbing his sword, "Go now!" He yells to the Oracle. He is about to run towards where he senses the monster had entered his realm but Saint's hand on his arm stops him._

_"I'll go with you."_

_Perth immediately protests. "No. Stay here."_

_"I wasn't asking for permission." Saint holds Perth's hand. "You're not leaving without me."_

"Perth!" Saint jumps off of the ice beneath his feet just in time before Vapuan's body smashes it. He knows Perth will catch him.

Perth does catch his husband, holding him by the waist as he flies. "Do you remember what I told you about it's weakness?" He whispers to Saint.

_"Vapuan is nearly indestructable. But I found out that it has a weakness. At its belly is a small crack in between scales. When it moves at the right angle, it opens up just enough for it to be vulnerable to attacks. That's where we should strike." Perth tells Saint as they are running towards where the barrier had ripped and the monster is wrecking havoc._

The previous gods and goddesses who fought against Vapuan had tried to fight it head-on. Even with all their powers they couldn't shatter the armor-like scales of the monster.

But Perth knew that in every chain, there is always a weak link. He just has to find that in order to break through the monster's defense.

And he was indeed able to find it when he went after it the first time. However, the Vapuan is a formidable foe and even with the knowledge of how to weaken the monster, Perth was still much too exhausted from the fight to do anything about it.

He had intended to call for reinforcements but he cannot shake Vapuan off his trail. Sending a vision is too risky since it would require him to concentrate on the vision and not on his actual surroundings. His body would be vulnerable.

He learned that lesson the hard way when he had tried to send a vision to Saint. He had been missing him and had wanted to hear his voice, even if it meant he would curse him out in anger.

He thought he had hidden well but the monster still found him. If not for the Oracle snapping him out of the vision, he would have sustain far more fatal injury that the wounds he got. Vapuan could have stolen his spirit. Then he really would have not been able to come home to Saint.

"I remember," Saint says, startling Perth back into the present. "What do you need me to do?"

"Distract it but stay out of its reach," Perth replies, still in a whisper. He flies them out of reach of the monster still trying to snap them with its gigantic mouth.

"And what will you do?" Saint asks.

"Something you won't like." Perth sets Saint back on the cliff and gives him instructions. "Run and whatever I do, do not go after me."

Saint has no time to ponder what Perth means because Vapuan is once again in pursuit of them.

Perth dives into the water just as Saint runs in the opposite direction, confusing Vapuan for a split-second but then he turns and tries to follow the water god, dismissing Saint as weaker and less of a problem.

"I think not!" Saint exclaims and runs right alongside the monster's body, freezing up the length of its body that he can reach as he runs on ice he had created too. "Focus on me, you abomination!"

The creature roars and turns to Saint, snarling. It breaks through the ice and heads straight to Saint. The immortal tries to evade it again but it's difficult when he's also focusing on creating ice beneath him to walk on. Vapuan is able to knock him off his feet and snag his side, painting the water red with his blood for a second before it is washed away by the gigantic wave that is threatening to drown Saint too.

Perth sees this and nearly goes back up.

Saint notices. "Don't you dare!" He gasps as he breaks the surface of the water. "I won't be subdued so easily!" He shouts. He hopes Perth will understand. He cannot say it directly for fear of their plan being found out by Vapuan who is said to be unusually intelligent.

Perth does understand. So even though he is concerned, the Water God swims further down to where he remembers the vulnerable area of the monster is.

But of course it isn't that easy. The monster's body is coiled in a defensive manner around that part.

Perth unsheaths his sword and arming it with the strength of the water, he strikes against the hard armor-like body of the sea creature, hoping it will uncoil enough for him to target that crack in between the scales. He is so focused on that that he doesn't foresee Vapuan diving his head and catching Perth by the leg. It nearly snaps his leg clean off. Fortunately, Perth is able to reach Vapuan's eye with his sword and is able to stab it. Vapuan screams and lets go of his leg enough for the water god to escape.

Above the water, Saint is in similar danger. The tail-end of the monster's body slammed onto Saint, throwing the immortal's body against the boulder not far away from them. Saint coughs up blood, sure that his back is a bloody mess as well. He grips the rock with his shaking hands, willing himself not to pass out. Perth needs his help. He cannot lose consciousness now.

Perth has no time to dwell on his new injury either. Vapuan is intent on devouring him and one mistake can really end his life. He may be immortal but as proven, that no longer means he cannot perish when slain by a monster such as Vapuan.

Perth deftly swims around Vapuan, using his size and speed against the monster. Vapuan might be an ancient creature feared by all but it is still in Perth's domain. He knows these waters inside and out and that is his advantage.

However, Vapuan is not a dumb beast. It had noticed Perth's constant glancing towards the surface. The water god had given away his own weakness - the new immortal struggling on land.

Weaken the other immortal and it shall weaken the water god. It is quite simple.

Vapuan's head turns and breaks the surface of the water once more. Perth does not catch on on the monster's intent but is about to follow it nonetheless when he sees the crack in Vapuan's scales. This is his chance.

But Saint...

The decision came easy. Perth swims out of the water just in time to block Vapuan's attack on Saint.

The sea monster seems to be sick of fighting physically and brutely. It is now turning to one of its deadliest tricks - stealing the spiritual cognition of the person. Without the spirit, an immortal would no longer be an immortal, nor a human. He will be but a shell of a person and will soon die.

Vapuan had tried its trick on Saint but Perth is faster, intercepting it.

Perth felt his soul being ripped from his body as Vapuan opens its mouth in a soundless scream.

"No!" Saint yells, weak but desperately trying to help his husband. He shoots ice that are sharp as knives to Vapuan's face, hoping to hit its menacing eyes or to pierce its throat. His aim is way off, however.

Perth crosses his arms, gripping his sword to anchor him while fighting against Vapuan stealing his spirit.

Panicked, Saint does the only thing he can think of and tackles Vapuan's head with a whip made out of boiling water in one hand and a sword made out of ice in the other. The whip coils around Vapuan's neck and forecefully turns it away from Perth and the sword stabs through the inside of its lower mouth. It is taking everything of Saint to do a high level technique like this. The whip is burning his hand too and when Vapuan snapped its mouth closed because of Saint's sword, it had crushed Saint's arm with it.

"Argh!!!" Saint nearly howls in pain. He can feel Vapuan's teeth cutting through his skin, piercing his flesh and crushing his bones like mere splinter. Distantly, Saint thinks he will probably lose his arm.

He does not care. It is well worth it if it means saving his husband's life.

"Saint!" Perth flies up and attacks Vapuan. "Let go of my beloved, you cursed beast!" He is hitting every part of Vapuan he can reach.

Enraged and annoyed but triumphant in its plan to target Saint, Vapuan does let go of the immortal in its grasp. But it has only just began. With its malevolent eyes taunting Perth, the monster tosses Saint like a ragdoll and then opens its mouth, once again starting to steal a spirit - this time Saint's.

Saint closes his eyes involuntary at the pain and the terrible feeling of what Vapuan is doing to him. He can feel a sharp tugging at the core of his being, like a part of him is being stolen. He tries to struggle but soon finds himself succumbing to the pain.

Before he can hit the water and probably damage more of his body, Saint is caught by Perth.

"I'm here love, I'm here." Perth embraces Saint protectively.

"P-perth..." He is much too weak and collapses, unconscious.

Vapuan does not even bother to finish them off yet, as if toying with them. If it could laugh, it probably would have.

That is when Perth sees a glint of what they had been aiming for all this time - the weak link, the crack in between Vapuan's scale. Holding Saint securely in his arms, he dives in without hesitation. Swiftly, before Vapuan could even anticipate his move, Perth stabs Vapuan, finally breaking through the flesh.

Vapuan lets out an ugly, garbled, cry. Perth ignores it. He holds the sword firmly by the hilt and slices up, making one long wound on the monster's belly up to its organs and finally piercing its heart.

"You shall never haunt these waters again," Perth declares.

With one last burst of energy, Vapuan lets out an angry snarl, coils around them and drags them to the depths of the water, intending to crush both of them. As the sea monster dies, its body falls on top of Perth and Saint with the weight of several cliffs. If they are not immortals, they would be grinded into sand with how heavy that is.

As it is, it is still dangerous and so Perth shields Saint's body as best as he can, bearing the weight of the monster on his back so Saint will be protected.

"Oh divine waters, send my message to the giver of life. Find us. Find our bodies. The war is over and we have won," Perth chants.

Back in the pond, the water glows. The sprites' energy ensure Perth's message reaches Aisha.

_Just a bit more, my love._ Perth's arms are shaking, the weight of the monster unbearable. But he stays still with Saint beneath him.

Just as Perth thought he couldn't take it anymore, he sees immortals, led by Aisha, diving through the water.

_We made it._ Finally, Perth lets his eyes close and his body collapse on top of Saint.


End file.
